New Partnership Gives Nurse Navigators Access to Cancer Care Resources
A new partnership between two prominent organizations promises to give nurse navigators expanded access to both professional and patient resources.
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Christina Loguidice
Editor, OncNurse
Contact: Sharon Francz, BHA
President, NCONN
New Partnership Will Give Nurse Navigators Expanded Access to Cancer Care Resources
PLAINSBORO, NJ, June 30, 2010—A new partnership between two prominent organizations promises to give nurse navigators expanded access to both professional and patient resources. Although many institutions and clinics throughout the United States have recognized the value of patient navigation and have added nurse navigators to their staff to help guide patients from screening and diagnosis through treatment and survivorship, until now there has been a paucity of resources for nurse navigators.
OncNurse,produced by the Intellisphere Oncology Specialty Group,Plainsboro, NJ, and the National Coalition of Oncology Nurse Navigators (NCONN), Rockville, MD, will promote oncology nurse navigation by developing patient handouts and nurse navigator resources, which will be distributed at oncology meetings by Intellisphere and NCONN and included with issues of OncNurse and some of its sister publications, such as Contemporary Oncology, Oncology & Biotech News, and Oncology Net Guide. In addition, OncNurse will encourage submissions from nurse navigators and continue to feature “Oncology Nurse Navigator 101,” a regular column written by NCONN members.
“NCONN’s success has been built on partnerships from our inception, partnerships with other oncology nurse navigators, healthcare providers, industry, and the patients and families we care for each day,” said Sharon Francz, president, NCONN. “NCONN wants to provide the most current technology, resources, and information to our growing membership, and to accomplish this NCONN has partnered with Intellisphere Oncology Specialty Group, a leader in ‘bringing healthcare technology to practice.’ A partnership with Intellisphere allows NCONN to offer our members educational and professional opportunities so that we may continue to promote excellence in patient care as we continue to change the face of cancer care,” she said.
“Nurse navigators make a huge difference in the lives of cancer patients, and Intellisphere is committed to providing these providers with resources and information that can help them streamline and have a real impact on cancer care,” said Mike Hennessy, chairman and CEO of MJH & Associates, the parent company of Intellisphere. “This partnership with NCONN is exciting because it will allow us to combine the power of our two organizations, with the ultimate goal of enhancing the care nurse navigators provide.”
About Oncology Nurse Navigation
The first patient navigation program was implemented approximately 20 years ago in a small hospital in Harlem, NY, by Harold P. Freeman, MD, who was dismayed by how many impoverished black women were presenting with advanced breast cancer. Following implementation of the program, the percentage of women presenting with late-stage disease dramatically decreased and survival rates were considerably improved. Recognizing the value of patient navigation, many institutions and clinics around the country have added nurse navigators to their staff to help guide patients with cancer through each point of care, but few offer resources or support to their navigators, as it is still an emerging profession. Founded in 2008, NCONN was the first organization to provide such support to nurses and other individuals, such as social workers or case managers, who navigate patients through their care.
About OncNurse and NCONN
OncNurseis published 6 times annually by the Intellisphere Oncology Specialty Group and reaches 20,000 individuals, including nurses, social workers, and other individuals interested in oncology. The publication’s mission is to keep oncology nurses abreast of the latest medical and consumer technologies that are impacting cancer care and direct them to useful Web resources. Its sister publications include Contemporary Oncology, a peer-reviewed journal; Oncology & Biotech News, a cancer news tabloid; and Oncology Net Guide, which shares the OncNurse mission but is geared toward oncologists. It is also part of the OncLive network, the Web portal for the Intellisphere Oncology Specialty Group publications. For more information on OncNurse or its sister publications, visit www.onclive.com. Nurse navigators interested in submitting articles to OncNurse can send them to Christina Loguidice, editor, OncNurse, at cloguidice@onclive.com. An NCONN editorial panel will review all nurse navigator article submissions to determine if they are suitable for publication.
NCONN has over 300 members and its membership is growing rapidly. The organization’s mission is to promote excellence in oncology patient care by fostering collaborative relationships and professional development among oncology nurse navigators and all healthcare disciplines locally, regionally, and nationally. NCONN seeks to be the national leader in establishing standards that define the oncology nurse navigator role by advocating for the oncology nurse navigator in the community and professional arenas. The organization holds an annual meeting for nurse navigators, which presents a great opportunity for patient navigators to learn and network with their peers. For more information on NCONN and this year’s meeting, which qualifies for CE credit, visit www.nconn.org.
