[Congressional Record Volume 151, Number 49 (Thursday, April 21, 2005)]
[Senate]
[Pages S4104-S4105]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                        ONCOLOGY NURSING SOCIETY

 Mrs. FEINSTEIN. Mr. President, I rise today to pay tribute to 
oncology nurses. May 1 marks the beginning of the 10th annual Oncology 
Nursing Day and Month and this year marks the

[[Page S4105]]

30th Anniversary of the Oncology Nursing Society.
  As co-chair of the Senate Cancer Coalition, I would like to recognize 
that oncology nurses play an important and essential role in providing 
quality, comprehensive cancer care. These nurses are principally 
involved in the administration and monitoring of chemotherapy and the 
associated side-effects patients experience. As anyone ever treated for 
cancer--or who has a loved one who has been treated--will tell you, 
oncology nurses provide quality clinical, psychosocial and supportive 
care to patients and their families. In short, they are integral to our 
Nation's cancer care delivery system.
  The Oncology Nursing Society is the largest organization of oncology 
health professionals in the world, with more than 31,000 registered 
nurses and other health care professionals. Since 1975, the Oncology 
Nursing Society has been dedicated to excellence in patient care, 
teaching, research, administration and education in the field of 
oncology. The Society's mission is to promote excellence in oncology 
nursing and quality cancer care.
  The Oncology Nursing Society has 19 chapters in my home State of 
California, which support our oncology nurses in their ongoing efforts 
to provide outstanding quality cancer care to patients and their 
families throughout our State.
  Cancer is a complex, multifaceted and chronic disease. Each year in 
the United States, approximately 1.37 million people are diagnosed with 
cancer, another 570,000 lose their battles with this terrible disease, 
and more than 8 million Americans count themselves among a growing 
community known as cancer survivors.
  In 2005, the American Cancer Society estimates that in the State of 
California there will be 135,030 new cancer diagnoses, and 56,090 
cancer deaths. At the same time, in 2005, the Health Resources and 
Services Administration, HRSA, estimates that in the State of 
California there will be a shortage of 18,409 nurses or a ten percent 
unmet need for nurses overall.
  We must do more as a Nation to prevent and reduce suffering from 
cancer and to support the oncology nursing workforce.
  Every day, oncology nurses see the pain and suffering caused by 
cancer and understand the physical, emotional, and financial challenges 
that people with cancer face throughout their diagnosis and treatment.
  Over the last ten years, the setting where treatment for cancer is 
provided has changed dramatically. An estimated 80 percent of all 
cancer patients receive care in community settings, including cancer 
centers, physicians' offices, and hospital outpatient departments. 
Oncology nurses are involved in the care of a cancer patient from the 
beginning through the end of treatment, and they are the front-line 
providers of care by administering chemotherapy, managing patient 
therapies and side-effects, and providing counseling to patients and 
family members.
  I thank all of our Nation's oncology nurses for their dedication to 
our Nation's cancer patients, especially those who care for cancer 
patients in California. I commend the Oncology Nursing Society for all 
of its efforts and leadership over the last 30 years and congratulate 
its leaders and members on its 30th Anniversary. The Oncology Nursing 
Society has contributed immensely to the quality and accessibility of 
care for all cancer patients and their families, and I urge my 
colleagues to support the Society and oncology nurses in their 
important endeavors.

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