ONS Connect - March 2008 - (Page 19)

CapiTOlCONNECTiON ONS Files Brief in Support of Department of Justice Lawsuit Against Big Tobacco [By Ilisa Halpern Paul, MPP, ONS Health Policy Associate] I n November, ONS joined with five other national organizations in filing an amicus curiae brief in support of the U.S. Department of Justice’s lawsuit against tobacco companies, including Philip Morris USA, R.J. Reynolds Tobacco Company, and Lorillard Tobacco Company. Amicus curiae, a Latin phrase, means “friend of the court” and refers to a person or entity not party to a case who provides information to the court on a particular aspect of the case or point of law in an attempt to help the court make a determination on the matter. Such briefs often are used by nonprofit organizations in an attempt to advocate for or against a particular change in or interpretation of the law. In this case, a lower court found that tobacco companies’ use of “light” and “low tar and nicotine” descriptors was part of a scheme to dissuade smokers from quitting. Specifically, the court found that the tobacco companies “engaged in massive, sustained, and highly sophisticated marketing and promotional campaigns to portray their light brands as less harmful than regular cigarettes, and thus an acceptable alternative to quitting. . . . [They] knew that by providing worried smokers with health reassurance, they could keep them buying and smoking cigarettes.” Although the court ordered that the companies cease using such descriptors, the companies have appealed the decision. Therefore, ONS and its advocacy partners filed the amicus brief in support of the lower court’s ruling with the hope that the appellate court will Ilisa Halpern Paul, MPP uphold the earlier decision and help protect public health. To view the brief and find out more about what ONS is doing with respect to tobacco control, visit www.onslac.org.✱ Learn About Blood and Marrow Stem Cell Transplantation Nursing Through the BMSCT SIG ONS’s Blood and Marrow Stem Cell Transplant (BMSCT) Special Interest Group (SIG) strives to promote excellence in BMSCT nursing through four main goals. 1. Develop and implement educational strategies that provide and integrate new knowledge and technologic trends in the care of BMSCT recipients. Supporting this goal is the SIG’s work with the BMT Tandem Meeting, which includes three days of content related to transplant nursing. Special topics at this year’s meeting include historical milestones in the development of SCT, psychological impact of BMT, nutrition therapy in BMT, early recognition of acute BMT toxicities, and transplantation for non-Hodgkin lymphoma (www.asbmt.org/cibmtr/Tandem). 2. Continue to enhance the quality and versatility of the BMSCT SIG Newsletter. Read archived issues of the newsletter at the BMSCT SIG Virtual Community (http://bloodmarrow.vc.ons.org). 3. Facilitate collaboration and networking between BMSCT centers and SIGs. 4. Explore and implement strategies of recruitment and retention. The BMSCT SIG holds annual face-to-face meetings at ONS Congress and the BMT Tandem Meeting. For more information or to join the BMSCT SIG, visit http://bloodmarrow.vc.ons.org. March 2008 19 ONS CONNECT http://www.onslac.org http://bloodmarrow.vc.ons.org http://www.asbmt.org/cibmtr/Tandem http://bloodmarrow.vc.ons.org

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of ONS Connect - March 2008

ONS Connect - March 2008 Contents Editor's Note Just In From Then to Now A Year in the Life—Month Three Web Connect Capitol Connection Notice Nursing Now Recognize Hepatic Sinusoidal Obstruction Syndrome in Patients With Cancer Caregiver Care Elasticity of Cells May Help Researchers to Identify Cancer Calendar of Events ONS Congress Your Thoughts and Comments Are a Valued Decision-Making Resource Staying On Top

ONS Connect - March 2008

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