2025 Quarter 1 – COA Patient Advocacy Network News Bulletin

A Note from the Director of Patient Advocacy & Education

The beginning of the year is always busy for advocates, whether we’re making our voices heard in the new Congress or engaging with state lawmakers. This work requires us to learn from each other and collaborate to remind policymakers why community oncology is essential.

I look forward to seeing many of you at the Community Oncology Alliance’s annual conference in sunny Orlando, April 29-30, where the patient advocacy program track is returning. Participants will learn how to engage with federal and state elected officials, harness the power of storytelling, work with traditional and social media, and understand COA’s policy and advocacy priorities. I’m already hearing of palpable energy surrounding how we can raise the collective voice of community oncology.

For those not yet registered, I’d love to have you join. 

Sincerely,

Rose Gerber, MS

COA Director of Patient Advocacy & Education

Upcoming Advocacy Opportunities

Engage with Fellow Advocates and Policymakers to Strengthen Community Oncology

  • April 9: Virtual Advocacy Chat: State Policy Trends Shaping Patient Care in 2025 (featuring James Lee, COA director of state regulation and policy)
  • April 29-30: In-Person Event: Community Oncology Conference (Orlando, FL)
  • May 14: Virtual Advocacy Chat: National Oncology Nursing Month
  • June 11: In-Person Event: Patient Hill Day (Washington, D.C.)*
  • June 18: Virtual Advocacy Chat: Cancer Survivorship (featuring Shelley Fuld Nasso, MPP, National Coalition for Cancer Survivorship’s chief executive officer)
  • July 23: Virtual Advocacy Chat: Sit In My Chair*

*Event dates are subject to change

Reach out to your local CPAN Chapter Advocacy Leader or to Rose Gerber, [email protected], to learn how to get involved.

Health Policy 101: What Ails the Health Care System, and How Is Community Oncology Affected?

The United States’ health care system is at a critical tipping point. An increase in mergers, acquisitions, and physicians employed by hospitals—a trend known as consolidation—creates a system where some mega hospitals and health systems dominate the market. Community-based practices close because of consolidation, leaving patients with higher treatment costs, longer wait times, and further travel distances. Mega health systems profit while patients, particularly those in rural and underserved areas, suffer the consequences of fewer independent oncology practices.

COA is advocating for Congress to fix these systemic issues so that patients can access local, affordable cancer care. Watch Ted Okon, executive director of COA, to learn more.

Watch Tonsa’s Advocacy in Action Story [60 Seconds]

Tonsa, a cancer survivor and CPAN chapter advocate for Cancer & Blood Specialists of Arizona, advocates for independent community oncology with her passion to help others and commitment to delivering positive change for patients. Watch Tonsa share why she advocates to make sure community oncology’s voice is heard in the latest Advocacy in Action.

Why do you advocate? Inspire others by sharing your story.

Recap Recent CPAN Advocacy Chats

Engaging conversations with cancer advocates, survivors, and professionals from around the country on community oncology’s most pressing topics.

March: Maintaining healthy eating habits and personalized diets are essential for people living with cancer and survivors to manage their condition. April Rozzo, MS, RD, CSO, LD/N, clinical nutrition manager at Florida Cancer Specialists & Research Institute joined Rose Gerber, to discuss helpful tips on nutrition planning.

February: Personal stories are a powerful way for patients, survivors, and caregivers to share experiences with policymakers. Rose Gerber and Caitlin Kubler, senior director of policy and advocacy at the Prevent Cancer Foundation, shared how their own cancer experiences affect their approach.

January: With a new Congress, a new administration, and new health care policy priorities, what can advocates expect in the legislative year ahead? COA Executive Director, Ted Okon and Managing Director, Nick Ferreyros joined Rose Gerber for a look into the crystal ball on all things cancer policy in 2025.

Stream recent Advocacy Chats on @OncologyCOA’s YouTube channel.

Cancer News You Can Use

Top-Rated Diet Lowers Cancer Risk in a Surprising Way, New Study Finds – CNN 02/25

Meals from the Mediterranean have been shown to reduce the risk of developing prostate, cervical, and colorectal cancer, while also decreasing the risk of women dying from any cancer by 17%, according to findings published in JAMA Network Open. The Mediterranean diet features simple, plant-based cooking, with much of each meal focused on fruits and vegetables, whole grains, beans, and seeds, with a few nuts and a heavy emphasis on extra-virgin olive oil.

The Race To Explain Why More Young Adults Are Getting Cancer – TIME 02/13

Scientists are racing to answer why cancer, historically a disease of old age, is increasingly striking people in the prime of their lives. Globally, diagnoses and deaths related to early-onset cancer, affecting patients younger than 50, rose by 79% and 28%, respectively, from 1990 to 2019, according to a recent study published in BMJ Oncology.

Young Women Are Almost Twice as Likely to be Diagnosed With Cancer as Young Men: ‘We’re Seeing A Change’ – CNN 01/16

Cancer diagnoses are shifting from older to younger adults and from men to women, according to a report released by the American Cancer Society. Breast and thyroid cancers, which account for nearly half of all cancer diagnoses in women younger than 50, are driving the trend.

Resources for Chapters

COA is working with practices and policymakers to protect patient access to local, high-quality care. Check out the COA Prescription for Health Care Reform, a blueprint to addressing the health care system’s greatest challenges.

View in browser

Recent News & Updates