CLL, COVID-19, & Why Patient Registries Matter

On March 1, 2024, ACCC elected a new president and board of trustees for the 2024 -2025 term. CANCER BUZZ interviews outgoing President, Lekan Ajayi, and incoming President, Nadine Barrett, about their respective ACCC President’s Themes, the programs and resources ACCC developed in the past year, the state of the oncology workforce, ACCC’s role in improving health equity, the Association’s 50^th Anniversary, and more.

Guest:

Lekan Ajayi

Immediate Past President, Association of Cancer Care Centers

Chief Operating Officer

Highlands Oncology Group, Fayetteville, Arkansas

“[Last year] ACCC set out to rebuild and upskill the workforce to deliver the next generation oncology care...it’s been enlightening, and there's been so much learning that’s been made available…I think through the power of sharing, we can all be better together.”

“The oncology workforce. currently is at a point of inflection really. I think what we know now is that we need to invest to be better…what we've been able to do is create a popular awareness amongst leaders in the industry of the need to invest in the workforce and also to give them tools to be able to do exactly that.”

Nadine Barrett

President, Association of Cancer Care Centers

Professor of Social Science and Health Policy

Senior Associate Dean for Community Engagement and Equity Research

Associate Director of Community Outreach and Engagement

Maya Angelou Center for Health Equity at Wake Forest School of Medicine

“Health equity is part of the core of ACCC, to want to advance equity, to want to think about what health equity and cancer looks like…ACCC is very much committed to recognizing that it takes a national and global community to create the change.”

Resources:

Reimagining Community Engagement and Health Equity in Cancer

Re(Building) the Oncology Workforce to Deliver Next Generation Care

The Importance of Developing Health Equity Initiatives

Social Drivers of Health: The Role or Representation in the Health Care Workforce

A Look at the Emerging Role of Health Equity Institutes

Population Health Navigators: An Innovative Approach for Supporting Underserved Patients

Live this week from the ACCC 50th Annual Meeting and Cancer Center Business Summit (AMCCBS), CANCER BUZZ features an update from the White House on the Biden Cancer Moonshot program. 

Speaker:

Dr. Catharine Young

Assistant Director of Cancer Moonshot Engagement Policy and International Engagement

White House Office of Science and Technology Policy

Resources: 

Cancer Moonshot 

ACCC Post: Moonshot

Highlights from the President’s Cancer Panel: Building on a Strong Legacy

Live this week from the ACCC 50th Annual Meeting and Cancer Center Business Summit (AMCCBS), CANCER BUZZ interviews Krista Nelson, ACCC past president, about the new Institute for Comprehensive Cancer Care Services and resources for cancer centers to implement these services.

Guest: 

Krista Nelson, MSW, LCSW, OSW-C, FAOSW

Program Manager of Quality & Research, Cancer Support Services and Compassion,

Providence Health & Services 

Resources: 

Comprehensive Care Services

Institute for Comprehensive Cancer Care Services Announcement

Live this week from the ACCC 50th Annual Meeting and Cancer Center Business Summit (AMCCBS), CANCER BUZZ interviews Dr. Mandi Pratt-Chapman about new patient navigation payments. 

Guest: 

Mandi Pratt-Chapman, MD 

Associate Center Director for Community Outreach, Engagement, and Equity

Associate Professor of Medicine

Associate Professor of Prevention and Community Health

George Washington Cancer Center

Resources: 

Patient Navigation

FAN Guidelines

Assessment Tool (Gap Tool)

Live this week from the ACCC 50th Annual Meeting and Cancer Center Business Summit (AMCCBS), CANCER BUZZ interviews Wendi Waugh, ACCC financial navigation committee member, about resources for financial advocacy.

Guest:

Wendi Waugh, BS, RT(R)(T), CMD, CTR

Administrative Director, SOMC Cancer Services & Ambulatory Infusion,

Southern Ohio Medical Center

Resources:

ACCC Financial Advocacy Network

Financial Advocacy Guidelines

Financial Advocacy Toolkit

 Recent advancements in treatment and a multimodal approach to care are improving outcomes for patients with head and neck cancer, however access to therapies and unique patient challenges due to disease symptoms, difficulty eating, difficulty communicating, and other psychosocial factors can reduce patient quality of life.

In this episode, CANCER BUZZ speaks with Angelea Bruce, RD, CSO, OPN-CG, registered dietician and head and neck program navigator at Sharp Memorial Hospital and Brittney Watts, RN, head and neck patient care coordinator at Yale New Haven Hospital, about the importance of head and neck nurse navigation and how a dedicated navigator can help address these unique patient needs and improve care for patients with head and neck cancer. 

“I think looking at it through the eyes of the physicians, the health insurance, the organization [cancer program], and looking at what are the patient outcomes, success rates, delays in care, survivorship...I think those are important metrics to monitor and we [as head and neck patient navigators] can let a program know whether the patient’s needs are being met.” –Angelea Bruce, RD, CSO, OPN-CG

“Having a specific nurse coordinator for the head and neck community is vital to the patient’s journey within the entire process. This is the point person for the patient, for the providers, and you are the connection for the patient to the healthcare facility.” –Brittney Watts, RN

Guests

Angelea Bruce, RD, CSO, OPN-CG

Registered Dietician, Head & Neck Program Navigator

Sharp Memorial Hospital

San Diego, California

Brittney Watts, RN

Head & Neck Cancer Patient Care Coordinator

Yale New Haven Hospital

New Haven, Connecticut 

This episode, developed in connection with the ACCC education program Multidisciplinary Approaches to Head and Neck Cancer Care, was made possible with support by EMD Serono.

Additional Reading/Sources

• Multidisciplinary Approaches to Head & Neck Cancer Care

• Head and Neck Patient and Caregiver Resources

Founded in 2019, this inclusive lab is comprised of 42 members ranging from undergraduates to faculty from 12 different countries, most of whom self-identify as women and/or individuals who are under-represented in medicine. This virtual lab meets monthly to discuss projects, grants, and future collaborations. Joint research efforts focus on professional development of the health care workforce; cancer health disparities; diversity equity, and inclusion in medical education; and social justice in medicine, with a focus on cancer clinical outcomes and survivorship experiences of underserved populations. From 2020 to 2023, the Florez Lab secured nearly 1.5 million in combined research funding to support the development of translational research to mitigate and provide resources to address disparities in oncology and medical education. In this podcast, Narjust Florez, MD, teases her session at the ACCC 50th Annual Meeting & Cancer Center Business Summit and why it’s important to attend this session in person. 

Guest:

Narjust Florez, MD

Thoracic medical oncologist

Associate Director, Cancer Care Equity Program

Assistant Professor of Medicine 

Dana-Farber Cancer Institute at Harvard Medical School 

“[At AMCCBS] I provide realistic strategies and actions that anyone can take to diversify the workforce, not only in oncology, but in medicine as a whole…I focus on what I have done with very little staff that has remained in place and helped create a more inclusive and diverse workplace.”

Hear Dr. Florez speak live at the ACCC 50th Annual Meeting and Cancer Center Business Summit.

Resources:

• Championing an Institutional Culture of Well-being in a Post-Pandemic Oncology Workforce — [PODCAST] 

• Workforce Diversity: African Americans in Health Care

• A Look at the Emerging Role of Health Equity Institutes

• Spotlight on the Sutter Health Institute for Advancing Health Equity

• A Q&A with Dr. Maria Hernandez, President and COO, Impact4Health

• Achieving Health Equity in Oncology with Precision Medicine Stewards 

• Health for All: Addressing Health Equity Among American Indians + Alaska Natives 

• Trans-Inclusive Cancer Care: Why It’s an Important Part of Health Equity

Hereditary breast cancer is a significant concern, with BRCA1 and BRCA2 mutations accounting for many inherited breast cancer cases. However, a 2018 survey by ACCC revealed the underutilization of BRCA testing, showcasing a significant gap in care. In this podcast, Joy Larsen Haidle, Genetic Counselor at North Memorial Health Cancer Center in Robbinsdale, Minnesota, and Lillie Shockney, University Distinguished Service Professor of Breast Cancer, Professor of Surgery at Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine in Baltimore, Maryland, delve into the topic of BRCA mutation testing within breast cancer care, highlighting care gaps and opportunities for improvement that were identified in the 2023 ACCC BRCA Testing Reassessment Survey.   

“There are treatments that are specific for women who carry a BRCA1 or BRCA2 gene that have metastatic disease. So, by not testing them, they are not receiving the benefit of specific drugs that have been developed, that only work, for BRCA1 and BRCA2 gene mutation carriers who have advanced disease.”

Lillie Shockney, RN, BS, MAS, HON- ONN-CG  

“In the past 4 years in particular, the ability for patients to reach out and see a genetic counselor via telehealth has rapidly improved access for providers across the country.”

Joy Larsen Haidle, MS, LCGC

Joy Larsen Haidle, MS, LCGC

Genetic Counselor

North Memorial Health Cancer Center

Robbinsdale, MN 

Lillie D Shockney, RN., BS., MAS, HON- ONN-CG

University Distinguished Service Professor of Breast Cancer, Professor of Surgery

Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine

Baltimore, MD

Resources:  

2021 ACCC Presentation on Genetic Counseling Rates at ASCO

ACCC 2018 Survey Summary Report

#AdvocateHealth is leading the way in rebuilding its 150,000+ workforce post-pandemic. Recognizing wellness as an institutional imperative and creating a new C-suite role—Enterprise Vice President, Well-Being for All Teammates—underscores this commitment. In this podcast, Mila Felder, MD, FACEP, teases her keynote at the ACCC 50^th Annual Meeting & Cancer Center Business Summit, why it’s important to attend this session in person, and what she’s looking forward to most at the meeting.

Guest:

Mila Felder, MD, FACEP

Enterprise Vice President, Well-Being for All Teammates

Advocate Aurora Health

“…talking about burnout and stress related to working in health care is important as a preventative tool. We do a lot of work to prevent illness in our patients…clinicians and health care workers are not very good at identifying their own individual needs and serving those needs.”

Hear Mila speak live at the ACCC 50th Annual Meeting and Cancer Center Business Summit.

Resources:

Cancer Care Team Mental Health: Normalizing Helpers Seeking Help — [PODCAST]

Improving the Culture of Your Cancer Center, One Idea at a Time

A Psychological First Aid Program in the COVID-19 Era

Caring for the Caregiver

Community-Based Psychological First Aid for Oncology Professionals