 July is UV Safety Awareness Month and as a heatwave sweeps across the country, it's more important than ever to keep yourself protected. We spoke to Floyd County Health Department Director Martha Ellis about ways you can stay safe. Increased exposure out in the extreme heat or sun can cause heat exhaustion. That's one of the things that right now we're concerned with this week with the increased temperature. It's advised that most of the population especially if you're very young or older but really all populations should try to refrain from going outside during the most hot time of the day which is more in the afternoon and you know you should go out in the mornings or the evening. When my baby was born it was magical and as she grew, having a hospital close to home with advanced healthcare and specialized positions being there along the journey was important and along that journey many special doctors touched our lives and then one day my baby became a woman and a mother herself. Pikeville Medical Center caring for every moment in life. Exposure to UV rays is the leading cause of skin cancer which kills over 7,000 people each year in the United States however there are many ways to protect yourself from the sun's harmful rays. 15 and higher for the SPF is best but the higher that you go the most protection you get. Folks should be reapplying sunscreen every couple of hours especially if you're sweating excessively you're at the pool and getting wet. So sunglasses that we often don't think but actually wearing sunglasses can help reduce the risk of cataracts. Young sleeves, hats, pants, anything that you know can keep you from being exposed to the sun and you know darker clothing is actually better when you're outside because it does protect more from UV. For more information on how to keep you and your family safe this summer go to Floyd County Health Department on Facebook. Reporting for Mountain Top News, I'm Brianna Robinson.