FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Tuesday, April 21, 2009

CONTACT:
Cindy Hickey, 330-489-1212
cindy.hickey@cantonmercy.org

Mercy Offers Free Skin Cancer Screenings

Canton, Ohio: Mercy Cancer Center is offering free skin cancer screenings to promote prevention and early detection of the disease.

Skin cancer screenings will begin at 6 p.m. on Monday, May 11 at Mercy Health Center of North Canton, located at 6200 Whipple Ave., N.W., North Canton. Your skin is the largest organ in your body. Cancer of the skin is the most common of all cancers. An unusual sore, lump, blemish, marking or change in the way an area of the skin looks or feels may be a sign of skin cancer.

Skin cancer screenings are free, but registration is required. To register, call Mercy’s Healthcare Connection at 330-489-1333 or 800-223-8662.

Mercy Cancer Center is not just a building. It’s the heart of Mercy’s integrated cancer program. Mercy Cancer Center coordinates Mercy’s broad range of diagnostic procedures, innovative treatments, national cancer research trials, complementary medicine program and support services. The American College of Surgeons’ Commission on Cancer (CoC) recently awarded Mercy Cancer Center a 2008 Outstanding Achievement Award for excellence in cancer care. Mercy is the only area hospital–and one of just 95 facilities nationwide–to earn the award, along with the CoC’s three-year re-accreditation with commendation. Fewer than 20 percent of cancer programs in the United States attain this superior recognition. This means most cancer patients can receive cutting-edge cancer care right here in our community.

About Mercy Medical Center
Mercy Medical Center, a nonprofit corporation of the Sisters of Charity Health System and University Hospitals Health System, operates a 476-bed hospital serving Stark, Carroll, Wayne, Holmes and Tuscarawas Counties and parts of Southeastern Ohio. It has 550 physicians on its Medical Staff and employs 2,500 people. Mercy operates outpatient health centers in Carrollton, Jackson Township, Lake Township, Louisville, North Canton, Plain Township and Tuscarawas County. A Catholic hospital, Mercy Medical Center upholds the mission and philosophy of the Sisters of Charity of St. Augustine and continues to be responsive to the needs of the community, including the provision of care to all, regardless of their ability to pay. For more information, see www.cantonmercy.com.