Making Sun Safety Accessible and Actionable Across Mayo Clinic

Sep 17 8:20am | Jasmine Souers | @jasminesouers

Across Mayo Clinic, our team is helping communities learn practical ways to protect their skin and reduce their risk of melanoma through Here Comes the Sun, an evidence-based intervention focused on sun safety education. The program has a shared goal: promote sun-safe practices in ways that help people understand their risk and take steps to protect their health.

But how that goal is carried out depends on the community. Across Mayo Clinic, program coordinators work with local partners to adapt Here Comes the Sun based on language, culture, geography, work environments, age groups and the trusted relationships already in place.

For Idali Cuellar, M.P.H., senior program coordinator for Mayo Clinic in Arizona; Clarissa Rohm, community relations coordinator for Mayo Clinic in Minnesota; and Shantel Locklin, community relations coordinator for Mayo Clinic in Florida, the work is not about delivering the same program the same way in every place. It is about listening first, building trust and shaping the program around the people being served.

A shared intervention, adapted locally

Here Comes the Sun brings community members together with a medical expert who can answer questions and provide education on topics such as UV rays, sunscreen, skin self-exams and steps people can take to protect their skin. Attendees also receive sun safety kits with items such as sunscreen, UV lip balm, sun hats and sunglasses.

Clarissa describes the program as one that “aims to reduce melanoma rates in our communities through the promotion of sun-safe practices.” Her role includes bringing in medical experts, working with community partners and tailoring educational materials so they reflect the needs of the community, such as using representative imagery or region-specific data.

In Arizona, Idali’s role is focused on connecting the program with the community and ensuring Here Comes the Sun can reach Hispanic and Latino communities through language and cultural considerations. “That means going beyond simply translating information,” she says. “We work with our community partners to deliver education in Spanish and consider how the information, examples, resources, and overall approach best resonate with the Hispanic communities we serve.”

In Florida, Shantel helps bring each event to life by cultivating community partnerships, securing knowledgeable speakers, managing logistics and coordinating educational giveaways such as sunglasses, sunscreen, wide-brimmed hats and umbrellas. Her goal, she says, is “to create an engaging and accessible experience that empowers community members to make informed decisions about protecting their health.”

Choosing partners who understand local needs

Each site begins with the same question: Who can help reach the people who would benefit most from sun safety education? The answer looks different depending on the community.

Idali looks for trusted organizations that already have strong relationships within Hispanic and Latino communities. Those partners bring knowledge that cannot be duplicated from the outside, including language preferences, barriers to accessing health information and the best ways to engage individuals and families. “Our partners understand the community in ways that we cannot replicate on our own,” she says.

For Clarissa, partner selection starts with identifying populations most affected by the problem the program is addressing. Because high sun exposure is a key risk factor for melanoma, her team focused on agricultural workers and recreational gardeners. In the Midwest, that led to partnerships with The Village in Rochester, which works with local gardeners and agricultural workers, and Monroe County Public Health in Wisconsin, which primarily serves rural residents, many of whom also work in agriculture.

Shantel focuses on organizations that regularly engage people who spend significant time outdoors, including summer camps, schools, youth-serving organizations, recreational programs and fitness groups. While young people are an important audience, outreach often begins with the adults who support them. By educating camp staff, teachers, coaches and program leaders, the program can extend beyond a single event and “create a ripple effect of awareness throughout the community.”

Making sun safety relevant, realistic and accessible

Once partners are identified, staff work with them to shape the program around the community’s needs. In Phoenix, Idali says that means making the program available in Spanish while also thinking about how information is communicated, which examples will resonate and what makes sun safety realistic for families.

In Florida, Shantel gathers information before each presentation about the age groups attending, preferred languages, common outdoor activities, expected attendance, available presentation time and any additional education or resource needs. That information helps determine both the content and the resources provided, whether that means adapting messages to the audience’s outdoor exposure, providing educational materials for ongoing use or supplying sun protection items that partners can distribute within the community.

In Minnesota and Wisconsin, Clarissa relies on partners to help answer practical questions: What does the community look like? Are people concerned about melanoma or interested in sun-safe practices? Where would they feel comfortable receiving prevention information? What barriers might they face in practicing sun safety or getting their skin checked? Who do they trust for health information, and how do they usually receive it?

The answers shape both the curriculum and the format of the lesson, whether it is lecture-based, bi-directional, virtual or in person.

Continuing the work after the event ends

Across sites, Here Comes the Sun is designed to continue beyond a single event or season. Idali says the goal is for partners and community members to leave with knowledge, tools and resources they can keep using and sharing. “Completing a program is not the end of a relationship,” she says. “Often, it becomes the first step in a longer relationship.”

Shantel describes the conclusion of a program season as “the beginning of deeper community engagement.” Continued partnerships make it possible to learn how participants are applying sun-safe behaviors, such as wearing protective clothing, using sunscreen regularly and taking steps to reduce UV exposure during outdoor activities. Partners may also incorporate education into their programs, provide sun protection resources or adopt practices that support healthier outdoor environments.

For Clarissa, the end of the season is a time to analyze data and improve the program. Pre- and post-surveys help show whether the program increased awareness of melanoma and sun-safe practices, as well as participants’ intent to use those practices. Survey feedback and in-person comments guide improvements, while the off-season creates time to share data with current partners, engage them in future planning and build new partnerships.

Trust comes before programming

Although each site serves a different community, all three staff members emphasized the same lesson: trust is essential. Idali says, “Trust comes before the programming.” Her advice is to avoid beginning with, “Here is the program we want to give you,” and instead ask, “What does the community need, and how can we work together to provide that?”

Shantel’s advice is similar: focus on relationships, stay flexible and look for ways to support communities beyond a single event. “When people feel heard, respected, and supported, they are more likely to engage with the information being shared and carry those healthy behaviors forward,” she says.

Clarissa has found that showing up and following through with commitments plays a powerful role in building trust. Bringing a medical expert to answer questions, educating people on sun-safe strategies, providing sun-safety kits and sharing resources on when and how to get care all demonstrate a sincere commitment to community health. She also encourages others not to underestimate the impact of reaching small groups. “Every time you help someone better understand their health and what they can do to reduce their risk for poor outcomes,” she says, “you empower them to spread that knowledge to their children, parents, friends” and others in their community.