[Congressional Record Volume 153, Number 98 (Monday, June 18, 2007)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E1327-E1328]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                       TRIBUTE TO ONCOLOGY NURSES

                                 ______
                                 

                           HON. JULIA CARSON

                               of indiana

                    in the house of representatives

                         Monday, June 18, 2007

  Ms. CARSON. Madam Speaker, I rise today 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, 
psychosocial, 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 Indiana's 
7th Congressional District, I would like to specifically acknowledge 
Julie Painter from Indianapolis, Indiana, for her service on the 
Oncology Nursing Society Board of Directors, as a Director-at-Large, 
and her role as a Clinical Nurse Specialist at the Community Health 
Network. Julie has served on the ONS Board of Directors for the past 3 
years; and prior to that, she served as Congress Chairperson in 1996, 
the Nominating Committee in 1996-1999, and on the Oncology Nursing 
Certification Corporation Nominating Committee in 2000-2002. She 
received her Master's degree and post-Master's Nurse Practitioner 
degree from Indiana University.
  The Oncology Nursing Society has four chapters in my home state of 
Indiana, including one in my hometown of Indianapolis. These chapters 
serve the oncology nurses in the state and support them in their 
efforts to provide high-quality cancer care to patients and their 
families throughout Indiana. Julie has been a member of ONS for 20 
years and has served as President, Vice President, Newsletter Editor, 
and more of the Central Indiana Chapter based in Indianapolis.
  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 in the world, 
with more than 35,000 registered nurses and other health care 
professionals. The Society's mission is to promote excellence in 
oncology nursing and quality cancer care. I commend Julie 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 30,040 people in 
Indiana will be diagnosed with cancer, and another 12,730 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 that there will be a shortage of 1,016,900 nurses in 
the year

[[Page E1328]]

2020. The Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) estimates 
that in 2005, the state of Indiana had a shortage of 5,295 nurses. HRSA 
estimates that number will reach 8,211 by 2010.
  I would like to once again acknowledge and thank Julie Painter for 
her hard work and leadership on the Oncology Nursing Society Board of 
Directors. As a nurse and leader in the field, Julie has made it her 
life's mission to help others, and she should be applauded for all she 
has done.
  I commend the Oncology Nursing Society for all of its efforts and 
leadership over the last 32 years and thank the Society and its members 
for their ongoing commitment to improving and assuring access to 
quality cancer care for all cancer patients and their families. I would 
like to remind my colleagues that May is Oncology Nursing Month, and I 
urge my colleagues to support them in their important endeavors.

                          ____________________