A unique, traveling skin clinic will be making a stop in Chatham this weekend.
May is Melanoma Awareness month, and Melanoma Canada is kicking off a coast-to-coast Mobile Mole Tour, visiting major Canadian cities with long wait times to see a dermatologist, underserved communities, rural and Indigenous regions, to help speed up the time to diagnosis, which is vital to improving outcomes for patients.
The Mole Mobile will be stopping in Chatham on Sunday at Walmart on St. Clair Street with walk-in hours from 10am to 4pm, open to the public on a first come, first served basis for a free skin check performed by a certified dermatologist.
Melanoma and skin cancer are one of the few cancers with incidence rates on the rise in Canada and worldwide. Incidence rates for new melanoma cases have been rising on average by 1.4% each year over the last ten years.
Last year, over 8000 patients were screened as part of the nation-wide Mole Mobile Tour. 985 suspicious lesions were found, and 222 melanomas identified across four provinces.
“The Mole Mobile raised awareness about skin cancer prevention while reinforcing the critical role dermatologists play in Canadian health care, improving patients’ lives through specialized, compassionate care,” said Dr. Mark Kirchhof, President of the Canadian Dermatology Association in a news release.