Florida Hospital Fish Memorial Hosts Free Skin Cancer Screenings

ORANGE CITY, July 12, 2016 On June 16, Florida Hospital Fish Memorial hosted free skin cancer screenings for the community.

Parks Dermatology physician assistant Sommer Baron, Waters Edge Dermatology Dr. Raymond Ramirez, Florida Hospital Fish Memorial family medicine physician Dr. Joanna Wierzbicki, and Florida Hospital Fish Memorial radiation oncologist Dr. Irfan Ahmed performed the screenings and caught several suspicious skin lesions. Seven patients were referred for biopsies and 11 were referred to specialists for further diagnostic follow-up.

Skin cancer is the most common form of cancer; half of all Americans will experience skin cancer at least once before the age of 65.

Melanoma accounts for less than one percent of skin cancer cases, but the vast majority of skin cancer deaths, killing one person every hour. Locally, Florida has the second highest rate of melanoma cases in the nation only California has more.

By the time you are 20 years old, about 75 percent of damage to your skin from the sun has already happened, said Ahmed. The good news is, nearly 90 percent of skin cancers are preventable, and if detected early, are highly curable. That's why it is so important to practice sun safe habits and get screened regularly.

About Florida Hospital Fish Memorial

Florida Hospital Fish Memorial is a member of Adventist Health System, a faith-based health care organization with 46 hospital campuses and nearly 8,200 licensed beds in 10 states. With 175-beds, Florida Hospital Fish Memorial is one of the six Florida Hospitals in Volusia and Flagler counties that composes the Florida Hospital East Florida Region. As the largest hospital system in the area, the Florida Hospital East Florida Region has 907 beds and nearly 6,000 employees. With a mission to extend the healing ministry of Christ, the Florida Hospital East Florida Region collectively contributed nearly $120 million in benefits in 2015 to the underprivileged, the community's overall health and wellness and spiritual needs, and capital improvements.