By Laura Toews, MS, RN, OCN®, and Kristin Ferguson, MSN, RN, OCN®
In our nation’s capital, healthcare policy meetings occur weekly for various government and private organizations whose aim is to improve care and conditions for patients with cancer. The ONS National Capital Chapter (NCC) members are involved in lobbying on the Hill and attending meetings about improving cancer care through the ONS Capitol Hill Gang.
We have had members attend Capitol Hill Days, where we learned more about bills that ONS is advocating for and had the opportunity to meet with members of Congress. Additionally, we have had members visit the White House to attend meetings about the Cancer Moonshot Initiative.
NCC’s membership spans Washington, DC, and neighboring Montgomery County, MD. We are lucky to live and work so close to where exciting and groundbreaking research is being done at the National Institute of Health’s National Cancer Institute. Many of our chapter members work in cancer research and oncology clinical trials and are at the forefront of creating innovative new standards of cancer care.
Our members actively participate in cancer research fundraising activities on both a local and national level. For the past few years, we have created a team to fundraise and participate in the Purple Stride 5K for pancreatic cancer research. We really enjoy chapter team events like this where we can spend time with our fellow chapter members while supporting cancer research.
NCC was thrilled to have the 43rd Annual Congress in our very own Washington, DC! It was incredible to have thousands of oncology nurses from around the world coming to DC to share knowledge, meet and network with other oncology nurses, and, most importantly, learn to improve care for patients with cancer.
DC is a vibrant city full of culture, history, politics, research, and fun. We hope that you took some time to explore our city and see all that it has to offer.