Free skin cancer screenings in Palm Springs as melanoma rates rise in Riverside County

PALM SPRINGS, Calif. (KESQ) — A mobile clinic will offer free, full-body skin cancer screenings Friday morning at the Mizell Center in Palm Springs. The screenings run from 10 a.m. to noon and are available on a first-come, first-served basis.

The Skin Cancer Foundation’s Destination Healthy Skin program brings volunteer dermatology providers to communities across the country. Physician assistant Phi-Yen VuTran will conduct Friday’s screenings inside the RV, which has two private exam rooms. The foundation will also hand out information on skin cancer and sun protection samples.

Riverside County averaged about 700 new melanoma cases a year from 2019 through 2023, according to federal cancer data. The county’s melanoma diagnosis rate rose during that period.

From 2018 through 2022, about one in seven melanoma cases in Riverside County were diagnosed after the cancer had spread to nearby tissue or lymph nodes, or to distant parts of the body, according to federal cancer data.

Friday’s stop gives Coachella Valley residents a chance to get a skin check without scheduling an appointment. Eisenhower Health also offered a limited number of free skin cancer screenings in La Quinta in May.

The Mizell Center is at 480 S. Sunrise Way in Palm Springs. For people who miss the event, Coachella Valley Volunteers in Medicine offers dermatology referrals through its free clinic for eligible adults.

Stay tuned for the full story at 6 on News Channel 3.