The Vermont Department of Health is teaming up with Vermont State Parks and skin cancer prevention organization IMPACT Melanoma to install free sunscreen dispensers at state parks.According to the Health Department's website, the dispensers are being installed at 11 state parks this summer.
Free sunscreen will also be available at a handful of other recreational areas around the state, including the Burlington waterfront and the Sugarbush ski area.
Find the full list of sunscreen dispenser locations on the Health Department website.
The dispensers will provide free SPF 30 sunscreen to anyone looking to avoid a sunburn.
Sharon Mallory, the Comprehensive Cancer Control Program director at the state Health Department, said skin cancer is a big problem in Vermont.
"We have the second highest state rate of melanoma in the United States," Mallory said. "So it's definitely a cancer that we can't ignore."
Mallory said that about 260 Vermonters are diagnosed with melanoma each year, and around 20 people in the state die from the cancer annually.
In a recent press release, State Parks Director Craig Whipple said he hopes the free sunscreen will help people stay safe while enjoying the outdoors this summer.
Funding for the initiative is coming from a Centers for Disease Control grant.
Disclosure: The Vermont Department of Health is a VPR underwriter.
