www.benefitoptions.az.gov/wellness
If you are like most
people, you enjoy
spending time outdoors
and feeling the heat of
the sun on your skin. But
not all the sun's rays are
pleasant. Ultraviolet (UV)
light is invisible, intense rays from the sun
which can damage your skin and increase
your risk of skin cancer. In order to protect
yourself and your loved ones from the
harmful UV rays of the sun, it is important to
understand UV rays and learn the answers to
your burning questions about sunscreen.
When and Where are UV Rays Strongest?
The first thing you should know about UV is
that the more intense the sun, the greater
your exposure to UV rays. The amount of UV
that will reach you depends on the following:
Time of Day—UV is greatest when the sun is
at its highest (between 10 am and 4 pm) and
less in the early morning and late afternoon.
Season—While UV exposure is the greatest in
the summer (May—August), it is important to
remember that UV rays reach Earth every day
and you should be sun safe year-round.
Concrete, sand, water, and snow reflect 85%
to 90% of the sun's UV rays.
Altitude—The air is cleaner and thinner at
higher altitudes, so UV exposure is greater in
the mountains than in the valleys.
Location—UV is strongest at the equator and
gets weaker as you move towards the poles.
If you travel to tropical destinations for
vacation, be prepared and take your
sunscreen with you.
Exposure Time—The longer you are in the
sun, the more UV rays your skin absorbs.
Remember, you are exposed whenever you
are outside: picnics, yard chores, long drives,
sports events, etc.
UV Index
A good second measure for sun safety is to
understand and use the UV index. The UV
Index is a next-day forecast of the amount of
skin-damaging UV radiation that is expected
to reach Earth's surface when the sun is
highest. It was created to help people make
informed decisions about the amount of time
that they spend in the sun.
June
2009
From the Arizona
Department of
Administration,
Benefit Options
Wellness Program
Page 1
The UV Index uses a numerical scale to rate
the strength of the sun's UV exposure level.
The higher the UV Index level, the greater the
strength of the sun's UV rays, and the faster
you can burn.
The UV Index is
issued daily to
advise you on the
strength of the
sun's UV rays in
your region. Make
a habit of
checking the
index so you will
know how much
sun protection
you need each
day. The UV
Index is located online at the Environmental
Protection Agency website at:
www.epa.gov/sunwise/uvindex.html
Select and apply good sunscreen
Though it is not the only safeguard you need
to take, sunscreen is one of the easiest ways
to protect your skin and is a good first line of
defense. Sunscreen absorbs, reflects or
scatters UV light to provide physical and
chemical barriers on your skin. Physical
sunscreens form an opaque film that reflects
UV light before it can penetrate the skin.
Chemical sunscreens absorb UV rays before
they can cause any damage.
Understanding SPF
All sunscreens products include an SPF, which
stands for sun protection factor. The SPF
number is a measurement of the amount of
UV protection — the higher the number, the
greater the protection.
Continued on Page 2
June www.benefitoptions.az.gov/wellness
2009
Page 2 Upcoming Events
Continued from Page 1
SPF is not an indication of how much time you
can spend in the sun. For example, if you use a
sunscreen with an SPF 30 rather than one with
an SPF 15, it does not mean you can stay in the
sun twice as long. In reality, an SPF of 15 fil-ters
out about 93 percent of the UV rays and
SPF 30 filters about 97 percent of UV rays. The
beneficial effects of sunscreen decreases over
time, so after a few hours the difference be-tween
the two may be even less.
Buying Sunscreen
Not all sunscreens are the same. When pur-chasing
a lotion or spray be sure to:
Select a broad-spectrum sunscreen with an SPF
of at least 15 — Broad-spectrum products pro-vide
protection against both UVA and UVB ra-diation.
Look on the ingredient labels for oxy-benzone,
sulisobenzone, avobenzone (Parsol
1789), ecamsule, titanium dioxide or zinc ox-ide.
Watch for added ingredients that may irritate
your skin — If you have sensitive skin, look for
sunscreen that does not contain potential aller-gens,
such as fragrances or dyes, and is spe-cifically
designed for your type of skin.
Understand labels — Look for sunscreens la-beled
"water resistant," which offers some pro-tection
against washing off in water or when
perspiring heavily. Sunscreens can no longer
be labeled "waterproof" because all sunscreens
wash off to some extent. Other terms that can
no longer be used on sunscreen product labels
include "sun block" (no product actually blocks
all UV rays) and "all-day" (no sunscreen lasts all
day).
Make sure any product you use actually con-tains
sunscreen — Many tanning oils and lo-tions
do not. Products that don't contain sun-screen
are required by law to clearly indicate
that on the label.
Sources:
1. Sun Safety Alliance:
www.sunsafetyalliance.org
2. Mayo Clinic EmbodyHealth website:
www.bewellstaywell.az.gov
Screening Includes
• Assessment by a Nurse Practitioner or
Physician’s Assistant for skin
cancer
AND
• Review of personal and family medical
histories and lifestyle factors
This month free skin cancer screenings will be
held at the following locations. Registration is
required. Each location has a site coordinator to
take appointments.
Please review the full events schedule on the
wellness website at: www.benefitoptions.az.gov
to find out how you can make an appointment.
June 10 — Tucson, DES
3655 E. 2nd St.
(9am—3:30pm)
June 11 — Phoenix, Library Archives
1700 W. Washinton
(9am��3:30pm)
June 16 — Phoenix, Arts Commission
417 W. Roosevelt St.
(9am—3:30pm)
June 17 — Phoenix, DES
13450 N. Black Canyon Hwy
(8am—2:30pm)
June 19 — Flagstaff, DES
397 Malpais Ln., Suite #3
(9am—3:30pm)
June 23 — Tucson, DES
195 W. Irvington
(9am—3:30pm)
ADDITIONAL LOCATIONS LISTED ON THE
WELLNESS WEBSITE CALENDAR
June www.benefitoptions.az.gov/wellness
2009
Page 3
Upcoming Events
SCREENING SERVICES STATUS:
Screening contracts were awarded on June 17th.
Mobile Onsite Mammography, Healthwaves,
Banner Occupational Health, and Maxim
Health Systems are now under contract to pro-vide
convenient, at-work screening services.
Wellness is currently taking requests for screen-ings
at State worksites. Listed below are each
companies services.
Healthwaves
• Flu/Pneumonia Vaccinations
• Mini Health Screening
• Osteoporosis Screening
Maxim Health Systems
• Flu/Pneumonia Vaccinations
• Mini Health Screening
• Osteoporosis Screening
• Skin Cancer Screening
Mobile Onsite Mammography
• Mammography Screening
Banner Occupational Health
• Skin Cancer Screening
EDUCATIONAL CLASSES STATUS:
Wellness awarded contracts for educational
classes, fitness classes, massage, and weight
management on October 24th. Kronos Optimal
Health, The Back Rub Co., and Jesse Tsao will
be the State’s vendors providing services in the
future. Wellness is working to complete the
vendor implementation, but due to severe
budget restrictions will not be able to offer the
contracted services at this time. These pro-grams
will be placed on hold pending analysis
from the ADOA budget team.
Thank you for your patience during this
difficult budgeting period.
“Early detection is the best defense we have at this
time for catching breast cancer in its earliest
stages,” says Catherine Midgette, Executive Vice
President of MOM. “If we find the cancer in its ear-liest
stages, the patient has a 97 percent survival
rate.” Mobile On-Site Mammography (MOM) travels
to perform mammography screenings at worksites
across Arizona.
MOM will directly bill insurance. Benefit Options
health plan members do not have to pay a copay
at these events. (Other insurance plan members
may have a copay. Check with your insurance’s
member services department for more informa-tion.)
Call MOM at 480-967-3767 to schedule your
appointment.
This service is generally provided on a request-basis.
Call MOM at 480-967-3767 or 1-800-285-
0272 to schedule this service at your worksite.
There is a minimum of 25 participants preferred.
June 4 — Yuma, ASPC
7125 E. Juan Sanchez Blvd
(7:30am—11am)
June 4 — Yuma, DES
350 W. 16th St.
(1pm—4pm)
June 18 — Scottsdale, DOT
7339 E. Paradise Ln.
(8am—12pm)
June 25 — Phoenix, AHCCCS
701 E. Jefferson
(8am—5pm)
June www.benefitoptions.az.gov/wellness
2009
Page 4
wellness information
Created and published by ADOA, Benefit Options
Wellness Program
100 N 15th Ave, Suite 103
Phoenix, AZ 85007
www.benefitoptions.az.gov/wellness
email: wellness@azdoa.gov,
Phone: 602-771-9355
What Services & Programs are
Offered by Benefit Options Wellness?
The Wellness website has the complete
list of screenings, classes and other
programs available for request and
scheduling at State worksites.
Wellness events are requested and coordinated
by State employees at worksites. If you are
interested in hosting a program at your
worksite, visit the Wellness website to view
what is available and learn what Wellness has to
offer.
Event requests must be submitted online by
clicking this logo:
Complete the brief form, including contact
information and the event requested and hit
submit! A Wellness team member will reply to
your request and begin scheduling your event.
Log on Today!
Take advantage of the many programs and
services to keep employees healthy
Mini Health Screening at
Work
All State employees and Benefit Op-tions
members are eligible to partici-pate
in mini health screenings.
The basic screenings below are FREE
• Height & weight; BMI; percent of body
fat (body composition).
• Blood pressure
• Full Lipid Panel and blood sugar
Optional screenings include:
• Prostate Specific Antigen (PSA) - for
men
• Osteoporosis/Bone Density—for
women
You will need your Employee
Identification Number
(EIN) and Insurance card
for these events:
For information about how
to register for a specific mini health
screening please refer to the online
monthly schedule listed by county on the
wellness website at
www.benefitoptions.az.gov/wellness or
call 602-771-9355
June 22 — Payson, DOT
200 N. Colcord
(7:30am-10:00am)
