ONS Connect - July 2008 - (Page 27)

wOrkiNGfOryOU ONS Members Know the Importance of Showing Up [By Brenda nevidjon, RN, MSN, FAAN, ONS President] Brenda Nevidjon, RN, MSN, FAAN INA, the Genetic Information and Nondiscrimination Act, passed the House and the Senate and was signed into law by President Bush this spring. GINA has had a long gestation, more than a decade in arriving. Many groups and individuals on Capitol Hill and across the country, including many ONS members, determinedly worked to keep that legislation alive. Thousands of you completed postcards at previous ONS Congresses and Institutes of Learning to inform elected officials of the importance of this legislation. Hundreds of G ONS and you showed up to support the Genetic Information and Nondiscrimination Act, and we can be proud of our contribution to that effort. you e-mailed your representatives. All of us who have made Hill visits over the years provided information on GINA to the staffers we met. In short, ONS and you showed up to support this legislation, and we can be proud of our contribution to that effort. Showing up. It sounds simple, but we all know how complicated that task can be. My local chapter’s program committee chair reminds us of the importance of showing up if we RSVP to a dinner event. The meal has to be paid for whether we are there or not, and we frequently have a waiting list. I’ve learned that showing up when you say you will is important and has consequences when you don’t. Predicting who will show up if the event does not have an RSVP is a chal- lenge. An example is the session at the 2008 ONS Congress that reviewed the U.S. presidential candidates’ healthcare agendas, which came about after a suggestion from Ellen Carr, RN, MSN, AOCN®. Show up attendees did—about 900 strong. Chairs were added, but not everyone could be admitted to the room. I was asked why the session hadn’t been scheduled in a bigger room. I don’t know how one predicts which sessions will draw a crowd and which will have modest attendance. However, what I found rewarding was the energy, enthusiasm, and knowledge shown by the many attendees who spoke at the microphone. Based on what I heard, I predict oncology nurses will tell the candidates what our healthcare system needs. ONS will be asking you to show up in support of its legislation sponsored by Representative Steve Israel (D-NY), the Assuring and Improving Cancer Treatment Education and Cancer Symptom Management Act of 2008 (HR 5585). This legislation recognizes the importance of the Medicare program providing—and reimbursing adequately for— treatment education for people with cancer and their caregivers. Just as you showed up for GINA, we will need you to show up for HR 5585. Visit www.onslac.org to download a special postcard that ONS will handdeliver to your representative on Capitol Hill. I know we can count on you because you know the importance of showing up. ✱ July 2008 ONS CONNECT 27 http://www.onslac.org

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ONS Connect - July 2008 Contents Editor's Note Just In Technologic Advancements in Cancer Care A Year in the Life - Month Seven Web Connect Capitol Connection Notice Nursing Now Caregiver Care Computerized System Standardizes Symptom Assessment and Management Nanotechnology Treats Cancer at the Atomic Level Rise in Mastectomies May Be Linked to Increased Use of MRI Detection Working for You Calendar of Events Staying on Top

ONS Connect - July 2008

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