‘The key is early detection’: Mobile dermatology clinic offers free skin cancer screenings at Bend Farmers Market
Jillian Fortner
(Update: Adding video)
Jillian Fortner has a report on KTVZ News at Six
BEND, Ore. (KTVZ) – A mobile dermatology clinic is making dermatological care more accessible in Central Oregon.
Throughout May, Project Happy Face has provided free skin cancer screenings and treatment services at the Bend Farmers Market.
Farmers, ranchers and those who work outdoors are among the most at-risk populations for skin cancer, due to prolonged sun exposure.
“We vendors, we do five markets a week. So we’re out exposed daily,” Shelley Akers, co-owner of Bohemian Roastery, said Wednesday.
The nonprofit organization aims to eliminate cost, transportation, and access barriers, delivering life-saving care to the people who feed our community.
Project Happy Face founder Amy Snow said, “We know that they’re outside the year-round all day. We know that a lot of them are living in underserved communities. So it was really advantageous to meet at the market and be able to screen all of them in a central location.”
The clinic has screened more than 100 people this month and detected potential skin concerns.
“The key really is early detection and educating everybody on what to look for,” Snow said.
The co-owner of Crow’s Croft in Redmond is grateful she was able to get screenings for herself and her husband.
“Everything was clean for me, but for my husband, they actually found that they were concerned about,” vendor Zoey Oquist said. “So they cut it out. So we’ll get results hopefully in the next week or two,” said vendor Zoey Oquist.
Vendors say the screening was quick and simple.
“Having this readily available where we can stop for a second, take five minutes to do the screening and find out if we have something on our skin or not. And then, go right back to what we loved doing was really awesome.”
Project Happy Face also will be offering screenings this weekend at A Time of Hope event.
The cancer awareness walk and community gathering in Prineville aims to raise money for support services in Crook County.