On Wednesday, March 18, a group of nursing organizations’ CEOs, including ONS, met at the White House with Vice President Mike Pence, Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar, Center of Medicare and Medicaid Services Administrator Seema Verma, Center for Disease Control Director Robert Redfield, and Coronavirus Task Force Coordinator Deborah Birx, to discuss frontline healthcare providers’ role in ensuring a safe workforce and patient-centered care during this pandemic. "Nursing organizations support ongoing efforts to address and prevent the community spread of COVID-19 along with the rapid development and identification of solutions to protect nurses, healthcare teams, and the public," an administration official said.
Several issues were on the agenda, including safeguarding nurses’ work environments, adequate and appropriate PPEs, and protecting vulnerable populations, particularly those patients with cancer and immunosuppressed systems, in this global crisis. “While the federal government continues to work towards flattening the curve of this outbreak, it is essential that we talk about real world implications of treatment and care on patients and the oncology nurses who care for them,” said ONS CEO Brenda Nevidjon, MSN, RN, FAAN. As more develops, ONS will share valuable information.
Visit the ONS COVID-19 Resource Page for the latest on the novel coronavirus.