[Congressional Record Volume 152, Number 66 (Wednesday, May 24, 2006)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E951]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                       TRIBUTE TO ONCOLOGY NURSES

                                 ______
                                 

                         HON. CHRISTOPHER SHAYS

                             of connecticut

                    in the house of representatives

                        Wednesday, May 24, 2006

  Mr. SHAYS. Mr. Speaker, I want to call attention to the important and 
essential role that oncology nurses play in providing quality 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 will tell you, oncology 
nurses are intelligent, well-trained, highly skilled, kind-hearted 
angels who provide quality clinical, psychosoclal and supportive care 
to patients, and their families. In short, they are integral to our 
Nation's cancer care delivery system.
  On behalf of the people with cancer and their families in 
Connecticut's Fourth Congressional District, I would like to 
specifically acknowledge Karen Stanley from Greenwich, Connecticut, for 
her service on the Oncology Nursing Society Board of Directors and her 
role as president of the Oncology Nursing Society. Through her 
steadfast leadership and commitment to the Oncology Nursing Society, 
Karen has advanced policies and programs that reduce and prevent 
suffering from cancer.
  I am proud that the Oncology Nursing Society has two chapters in my 
home State of Connecticut. Located in Berlin and Brookfield, these 
chapters serve the oncology nurses in the State and support them in the 
effort to provide high quality cancer care to patients and their 
families.
  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 Oncology Nursing Society is the 
largest organization of oncology health professionals the world with 
more than 33,000 registered nurses and other health care professionals. 
The Society's mission is to promote excellence in oncology nursing and 
quality cancer care. I commend Karen and her organization for all that 
they do in the field of oncology.
  Cancer is a complex multifaceted and chronic disease, and people with 
cancer are best served by a multidisciplinary health care team 
specialized in oncology care, including nurses who are certified in 
that specialty. According to the American Cancer Society, one in three 
women and one in two men will receive a diagnosis of cancer at some 
point in their lives, and one out of every four deaths in the United 
States results from cancer. This year approximately 17,320 people in 
Connecticut will be diagnosed with cancer and another 6,990 will lose 
their battles with this terrible disease. 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.
  Today, more than two-thirds of cancer cases strike people over the 
age of 65, and the number of cancer cases diagnosed among senior 
citizens is projected to double by 2030. At the same time, many of the 
community-based cancer centers are facing significant barriers in 
hiring the specialized oncology nurses they need to treat cancer 
patients. We are on the verge of a major national nursing shortage, and 
it is estimated there will soon be a shortage of 1.1 million nurses.
  I would like to once again acknowledge and thank Karen Stanley for 
her hard work and leadership as president of ONS. As a nurse and leader 
in the field, Karen has made it her life's mission to help others and 
she should be applauded for all she has done.

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