Advocacy Alert
Posted 4/21/2009
Posted in
his is an important message from the National Coalition of Cancer Survivors. Do take a minute to read it and make a call.
Your Call Will Make a Difference!
Support Comprehensive Cancer Care
It takes just THREE phone calls in one day to make a difference on an issue. Members of Congress work on multiple bills during each session, and with just a few phone calls to a representative asking for support on the Comprehensive Cancer Care Improvement Act (CCCIA), we can make cancer care a priority. So don't sit on the sidelines and assume others will take action - YOU can make a difference!
Having a written survivorship care plan puts you in a better position to advocate for your own care!
Rep. Lois Capps and Rep. Charles Boustany have re-introduced the CCCIA, which calls for better coordination of care and improved communication between patients and their healthcare teams before, during, and after treatment. The CCCIA would encourage healthcare providers to create a written survivorship care plan and to discuss this plan with their patients at the beginning and end of primary treatment.
Last year your representative was a co-sponsor of this important legislation and we need that support again to move forward!
Survivorship care plans include three parts:
- A written plan that is given at the beginning of treatment maps out options and their effects to help you understand what to expect, ask questions, and participate in treatment decisions.
- A written summary details all the treatments given and the outcomes.
- A follow-up care plan recommends post-treatment monitoring to equip you and your future healthcare providers with information to address your unique long-term needs as a cancer survivor.
Calling your representative to support quality cancer care is quick and easy! Click on the link below to begin.
NCCS advocates for quality cancer care for all Americans and provides tools that empower people affected by cancer to advocate for themselves. Founded by and for cancer survivors in 1986, NCCS created the widely accepted definition of survivorship and considers someone a cancer survivor from the time of diagnosis through the balance of life. Its free publications and resources include the award-winning Cancer Survival Toolbox®, a self-learning audio program created by leading cancer organizations to help people develop essential skills to meet the challenges of their illness. More information is available at www.canceradvocacy.org or 1-888-650-9127.
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