The nature of agricultural work demands farmers spend long hours outdoors in direct sunlight, which increases their risk of developing skin cancer. Prevalence of skin cancer among the agricultural community has prompted Rutgers Cooperative Extension and the Vegetable Growers Association of NJ to partner with ScreenNJ to offer no-cost skin cancer screenings to farmers who register for the convention and also sign up separately for this screening opportunity.
These screenings will take place at the upcoming New Jersey Agricultural Convention and Trade Show at Harrah’s Resort and Waterfront Conference Center located at 777 Harrah’s Blvd. in Atlantic City, New Jersey. Appointments for skin cancer screenings will be available on Wednesday, February 7, 2024, from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Screenings will take place in the ScreenNJ ‘LifeSaver’ Mobile Health Unit RV in the parking lot just outside the trade show.
Advanced registration before the convention is strongly recommended, as time slots are very limited. There may only be a few times available for same-day registration at the convention. Screening time is estimated to be 20 minutes per person, so please keep this in mind as you plan your trip to the convention. As a reminder, the agenda for the educational sessions at the convention and general registration information are available at https://vganj.com/registration. The skin cancer screening opportunity is a separate registration. Follow these steps to register in advance for a skin cancer screening at this event: ·
- Visit https://screennj.gomohealth.care/patient/enroll/
- Select your preferred language
- Click “I would like to register for a mobile health unit event” then select “February 7, 2024 | Agricultural Convention | Time: 9:00 am to 3:00 pm” from the drop-down menu and click “Next”
- Complete the contact and demographic information page then click “Next”
- Complete the medical history page then click “Enroll”
- After enrolling, a Patient Navigator or Regional Coordinator from ScreenNJ will contact you to schedule your appointment for a time on Wednesday, February 7th
If you have any questions, please contact Kate Brown, Program Associate in Commercial Agriculture with Rutgers Cooperative Extension of Burlington County, at kbrown@njaes.rutgers.edu.
Growing up on a farm has many benefits for children, but farms can also be dangerous. Across the country, over 30 children are seriously injured in agriculture-related incidents every day, and a child is fatally injured on the farm once every three days. Take an active role to keep children safe on the farm by educating them about the risks, thoroughly training them for age-appropriate tasks, providing personal protective equipment, and maintaining adequate supervision. 
