UNM offers free skin cancer screenings Saturday in Rio Rancho

Rio Rancho residents with a changing spot, a sore that will not heal or years of sun exposure will be able to get a free skin cancer screening Saturday at UNM Sandoval Regional Medical Center, where walk-ins will be accepted from 9 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. No appointment or insurance card will be needed, and anyone who checks in by 11:30 a.m. will be screened that day.

The clinic at 3001 Broadmoor Blvd. NE is one of two free screenings UNM will offer the same day, alongside a second site at UNM Dermatology Clinic in Albuquerque, 1021 Medical Arts Ave. NE. UNM says patients will be seen on a first-come, first-served basis, but priority will depend on completion of a required skin health history form, not just arrival time. After the exam, patients will receive a report of findings and follow-up options.

The effort matters in New Mexico, where UNM Health says getting in to see a dermatologist can take months. UNM says its Comprehensive Cancer Center is the only National Cancer Institute-designated cancer center headquartered in the state, and about 60% of adults with cancer in New Mexico receive care there. For families in Sandoval County, that makes a Saturday screening a practical way to catch trouble early before it grows into a larger and more expensive treatment plan.

UNM says the most common skin cancers in New Mexico are basal cell and squamous cell carcinomas, both linked to lifetime sun exposure. That risk is especially immediate in a state where outdoor work, school sports and daily errands mean more time under a hard sun. The screening program began in May 2019, when John Durkin, MD, helped launch it to reach New Mexico’s underserved dermatology deserts and reduce cancer disparities in communities that often face long waits for specialty care.

Medical students from the University of New Mexico School of Medicine will help at the screenings and provide skin cancer education. The events are sponsored by the Ryan F. Daniell Memorial Fund, the Shannon J. Shaw Memorial Cancer Fund, UNM Department of Dermatology, UNM Comprehensive Cancer Center and the American Academy of Dermatology, part of that group’s Spot Me campaign. For Rio Rancho families, it is a low-barrier chance to get a suspicious spot checked before a small problem becomes a major one.