President Obama, during his final State of the Union address on January 12, 2016, said, “Let’s make America the country that cures cancer once and for all.” From that challenge, the National Cancer Moonshot Initiative was born with Vice President Joe Biden appointed to the helm. A new national endeavor to develop massive strides in cancer research and treatment would take the brightest minds and most dedicated workers in oncology and throughout the country.

Since the announcement of the National Cancer Moonshot, there have been great ideas abound. But how do you get them to the right people who can best direct federal funding for cancer research? The National Cancer Institute (NCI) has helped streamline the process by creating a new online platform for submitting ideas to the Blue Ribbon Panel (BRP).

Discover all the happenings on Capitol Hill and how ONS continues to advocate for oncology nurses in the national healthcare arena.

Political policies, especially those concerning health care and cancer care, are constantly changing. It’s hard to stay up to date with the constant evolution of events on Capitol Hill. ONS works to make certain that oncology nurses are represented during discussions that impact their practice, as well as the whole healthcare arena. Learn more about the happenings on the Hill that potentially could impact oncology nurses.

In his last state of the union address of his presidency, on January 12, President Obama announced a new “moonshot” funding plan and asked Vice President Biden to lead the initiative to eliminate cancer as we know it. Some of us remember the original moonshot funding request made by President Kennedy, almost 55 years ago, to put a man on the moon before the decade ended and other initiatives. The cancer moonshot goal is to achieve a decade’s worth of advances in five years. Critical to this happening is the elimination of siloes.

Capitol Hill is a dynamic, fluid atmosphere, especially for oncology nursing advocacy. ONS is constantly working to provide nurses with a voice at a federal level by representing them in political arenas in Washington, DC, and around the country. Find out what ONS does to advocate for its members and oncology nurses across the United States.

In his final State of the Union address, President Obama announced a national initiative to be coordinated by Vice President Joe Biden that is being referred to as the “cancer moonshot.” The goal is to cure cancer, or at least to make major advances in attempt to better understand cancer, its elements, and how best to defeat the disease.