HealthMark Multimedia in the News:

For Immediate Release

Contact: Susan Brink, Principal
HealthMark Multimedia, LLC
PH: 202-448-6150, Ext. 201
Email:

The Future Looks Bright for Sun Safety

Sun Safe Central™: www.sunsafecentral.com Keeps children safe in the sun

Washington, DC, April 09, 2003 - With the arrival of summer, children will be spending hours playing outdoors. Excitement about these days in the sun makes it easy to forget that combining children and sun exposure may lead to skin cancer. To help adults keep children safe, HealthMark Multimedia has partnered with The Children's Foundation to develop Sun Safe Central™: www.sunsafecentral.com, an interactive Web site filled with information, activities and tools that parents and child care providers can use to educate themselves and their preschool children about sun protection.

Available in English and Spanish and developed with a grant from the National Cancer Institute, Sun Safe Central™ promotes three key sun safety messages: Stay in the Shade, Dress for Sun and Use Sunscreen. Parents and child care providers will find fact sheets, tools such as a "How do I…" section, checklists and personal stories that focus on these messages. In addition to information that includes learning about ultraviolet radiation and identifying cancer risk, there is advice on purchasing and properly using sunscreen, selecting protective hats, creating shady play areas and much more. Experts in sun safety have reviewed the information on the site, and links to other resources are provided.

Sun Safe Central™ also offers fun and entertaining ways for children to learn about sun safety, including indoor and outdoor learning activities, sing-along songs and various coloring materials, such as stickers, posters and puppets. In fall 2003, HealthMark Multimedia will launch Adventures with the Shady Characters™, a series of downloadable games based on colorful animal personalities who set an example for wearing protective clothing, such as long-sleeved shirts, floppy hats and sunglasses.

Reducing sun exposure in childhood by using protective measures can lower lifetime incidence of non-melanoma skin cancer. Evidence is accumulating that using several protective approaches is the best strategy for preventing sun-induced cancer. The goal of Sun Safe Central™: www.sunsafecentral.com is to give parents and child care providers the information they need to protect preschool children and teach them sun protection behaviors early in life to prevent potential health problems later.

Established in 1969, The Children's Foundation is a national non-profit educational organization working to improve the lives of children and those who care for them. Its mission is to provide a voice for children and their families and caregivers on issues of critical concern. The Children's Foundation conducts research and provides information and training on child nutrition programs, quality child care, leadership development, health care, welfare-to-work programs and court-ordered child support enforcement. For more information about The Children's Foundation and its programs, contact The Children's Foundation: 725 Fifteenth Street NW, Suite 505, Washington, DC 20005; Telephone: 202-347-3300; Fax: 202-347-3382. The organization's home page is at www.childrensfoundation.net.