When it comes to health, sometimes the biggest barrier is taking the step to seek out services. But the Town of North Hempstead is eliminating this by bringing health programs directly to residents.
“In summer you feel like ‘it’s free time, I’m going to the park,’” Town Supervisor Jennifer DeSena said. “But you can go to the park and also just happen upon some really interesting and helpful information.”
For four Wednesdays this summer, the Town of North Hempstead brought emergency medical response trainings and skin cancer screenings directly to its residents through its Wellness Wednesday program established throughout its parks.
The services, which were in partnership with North Shore University Hospital and Long Island Jewish Medical Center, were free to town residents and did not require health insurance.
DeSena said this allows the town to reach a diverse population and provide them with services to promote their health and wellness.
“People from all different ages, different backgrounds, they all use our parks,” DeSena said. “So it’s a great way to get this education out into the public to a lot of different groups.”
DeSena said the town’s partnership with Northwell Health is a resource she is glad can be brought directly to residents.
“We always are lucky that we can take that resource and get it outside of the hospital and into our neighborhoods through our parks,” DeSena.
The town provided two skin cancer screenings at Clinton G. Martin Park and Manorhaven Beach Park. Parkgoers could get a full skin cancer screening by a Northwell Health dermatologist and further medical referrals if warranted.
Northwell Health Director of Women’s Skin Health & Wellness Dr. Pooja Shah said that while skin cancer can be life-threatening, early detection through regular skin cancer screenings can be crucial in saving lives.
“The earlier we catch it, the better the survival rates and the better the prognosis,” Shah said. “Early detection does save lives.”
Shah said that being positioned on Long Island, many residents are regular beachgoers and intense sun exposure can make someone susceptible to skin cancer. She said she has seen skin cancer on the rise recently, with even younger patients being diagnosed.
Skin cancer screenings can be as quick as 10 minutes, Shah said, and suggested adults take the short amount of time to get checked out.
DeSena said there was a steady flow of people taking advantage of the two skin cancer screenings, including herself, who has utilized the service for the past two years.
DeSena said it is still too soon to determine the efficacy of the skin cancer screening this year, but said last year at least one woman had been identified with skin cancer through the service and was able to get it removed.
Northwell also offered sunscreen to residents at the screenings.
Wellness Wednesday also included a workshop on four different ways to save lives, which included Narcan training. DeSena said this is beneficial in promoting community public health in spite of stigma around drug use and overdose prevention.
“We just got to take away any stigma, any negativity around using Narcan and just educate as many people as we can about using it,” DeSena said.
Other methods taught included CPR training, how to use an AED and tourniquet training.
These trainings have, too, saved lives, including a town employee cut by a falling stop sign whose coworker was able to stop the bleeding through a tourniquet he learned to do during a town workshop. This kept him stable until he got medical care at North Shore Hospital.
This was the third year North Hempstead offered this program, and DeSena said she would like to continue offering it in the future.
