CPAN Appoints First Official Advisory Board with ECHO Represented
Board Will Guide Network and Provide Insight for Growing Advocacy Base
In response to a growing network of advocates, the COA Patient Advocacy Network (CPAN) has appointed its first formal advisory board. As CPAN expands and evolves, it is important to have a national structure of leaders to guide development and process feedback from members and chapters. This board was selected based upon each member’s commitment to CPAN and their previous work supporting patient advocacy.
We are thrilled that ECHO’s very own Cynthia Przekop, RN, BSN, has been selected to serve on this board.
CPAN is a national advocacy organization committed to raising awareness of independent, community cancer care and the issues that affect it. CPAN advocates — patients, survivors, caregivers, nurses, pharmacists, oncologists, and more—share their personal stories and advocacy power so elected officials understand the importance of local, affordable, and accessible cancer care close to where they live and work. The 30 CPAN practice-based chapters around the country educate, engage, and activate CPAN advocates around key national cancer care issues. CPAN membership is free, and we welcome your voice.
The board is a 16-member body representing 13 practices from 11 states. The members come from a variety of backgrounds, from communications to social work to nurses to cancer survivors. The variety among board members represents the wide variety of advocates in CPAN. In their duties, the board will work alongside CPAN Medical Co-Chairs Miriam Atkins, MD, and Harsh Vyas, MD, FACP, and Director of Patient Education & Advocacy Rose Gerber. The advisory board will contribute their insight into the evolution of CPAN with the goals of directly aligning CPAN’s efforts to support COA’s policy initiatives.
“Dr. Atkins, Dr. Vyas, and I are excited to start working with the board,” said Gerber. “Their perspectives and proximity to chapter members will help inform the steps taken at the national level. Conversely, we will be able to translate national level decisions into actionable steps at the state and local level. I am thrilled to get to work with this group of hardworking advocates.”
CPAN Advisory Board Members
The following individuals were selected to serve on the CPAN Advisory Board:
- Tami Ramey, Center for Cancer & Blood Disorders, TX
- Jeffery Sergent, Dayton Physicians Network, OH
- Cynthia Przekop, RN, BSN, Eastern Connecticut Hematology and Oncology, CT
- Beth Wittmer, RN, BSN, OCN, Florida Cancer Specialists and Research Institute, FL
- Lisa Poiry, RN, Fort Wayne Medical Oncology Hematology, IN
- Chelsea Klock, RN, OCN, Hematology Oncology Associates of Central NY, NY
- Victoria Foley, New England Cancer Specialists, ME
- Susanne Johnson Berns, BSA, GGCP, Northwest Georgia Oncology Centers, GA
- Betty Apt, Northwest Georgia Oncology Centers, GA
- Abra Kelson, LICSW, Northwest Medical Associates, WA
- Susan Wagner, Oncology Consultants, TX
- Jihane Saade, RN, Regional Cancer Care Associates, NJ
- April Brake, Tennessee Oncology, TN
- Lance Ortega, MBA, BSN, RN, OCN, Texas Oncology, TX
- Jennifer Sassano, MSN/MHA, MSP-BH, RN, NE-BC, Texas Oncology, TX
- Randy Mansfield, Utah
Congratulations Cyndi! We look forward to hearing about the critical work that you and the Board do to advocate for community oncology patients and practices.
About the Community Oncology Alliance: COA is a non-profit organization dedicated to advocating for community oncology practices and, most importantly, the patients they serve. COA is the only organization dedicated solely to community oncology where the majority of Americans with cancer are treated. The mission of COA is to ensure that patients with cancer receive quality, affordable, and accessible cancer care in their own communities. More than 5,000 people in the United States are diagnosed with cancer every day and deaths from the disease have been steadily declining due to earlier detection, diagnosis, and treatment. Learn more at www.CommunityOncology.org. Follow COA on Twitter at www.twitter.com/oncologyCOA or on Facebook at www.facebook.com/CommunityOncologyAlliance.
Patient Advocacy Network (CPAN): is a national advocacy organization committed to raising awareness of independent, community cancer care and the issues that affect it. A community oncology practice is a private, physician-owned cancer clinic that is not part of a hospital, academic center, or medical teaching institution. CPAN advocates — including patients, survivors, caregivers, nurses, pharmacists, oncologists, and more — share their personal stories and advocacy power so elected officials understand the importance of local, affordable, and accessible cancer care close to where they live and work.