Hundreds of Ottawa residents line up for free skin cancer screening

Hundreds lined up in an Ottawa parking lot Thursday to get a skin cancer screening in a dermatology clinic on wheels. CTV’s Dave Charbonneau reports.

Getting an appointment with a dermatologist can take months. But this week, a mobile clinic is making a stop in Ottawa to offer free skin cancer screenings.

It’s called Mole Mobile, a mobile clinic that travels to communities across Canada offering free skin cancer screenings by certified dermatologists.

Christy Carruthers said she came because she couldn’t get answers elsewhere.

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“I have something on the back of my ear, and I can’t see it. And I asked my doctor, and I haven’t received any notification from the skin specialist, so when this popped up, I thought, well, I’ll try this,” she said.

Dermatologists say this is exactly why the mobile clinic exists.

“Skin cancer is rising in Canada and early detection saves lives. And not everybody is able to have a primary care specialist or get to a dermatologist. So, if we can help some of these people find lesions that need to be cut out or biopsied, then we could save some lives today,” said Dr. Carly Kirshen.

The response has been overwhelming.

“In the Ottawa area, we had over 2,000-plus sign-ups in the area alone for the couple days we’re here. But, yeah, in terms of the intake, it’s always 100-plus people usually,” said Cody Poisson, Mole Mobile tour lead.

By mid-morning, the line stretched across the parking lot of the Cineplex Cinema on Carling Avenue. Hundreds of people waited hours for a chance to be seen, and many at the back of the line had to be turned away.

“This is kind of ridiculous. I mean, there’s definitely a need for this sort of screening. Clearly a need because there’s, I don’t know, hundreds of people in this line,” said Doug Patriarche, who was turned away.

Some, like Lynna Leonard, didn’t even bother waiting in line once they saw how long it was.

“I don’t know that we’re going to stay at this location, just because the lineup is so huge. But I think that’s a really good indicator that it’s really, really needed.” Said Leonard.

Chris Wooderson was first in line, arriving at 7:30 a.m. for the clinic that didn’t start until 10 a.m.

“Well, there’s over 2,000 people subscribed online. I just knew there wasn’t going to be enough time to see everybody. So, I wanted to make sure I was seen,” he said.

As for Carruthers, she says peace of mind was worth the wait.

“Oh, it went well. You know, especially since I can’t see behind my ear. And I just wanted to make sure,” she said.

The Mole Mobile tour will visit Greely on Friday, St. Laurent Boulevard on Saturday, and Cornwall on Sunday.