Krista Nelson, MSW, LCSW, OSW-C, FAOSW was named president of the Association of Cancer Care Centers (ACCC) on Friday, March 5, at the ACCC 47th Annual Meeting and Cancer Center Business Summit. Ms. Nelson will lead ACCC for the next year, as oncology professionals work to tackle critical issues in cancer care post-pandemic.
Each year, ACCC invites its president to select a theme for their tenure that addresses a timely issue in cancer care through the creation of programs and resources. The theme of Ms. Nelson’s presidency will be “Real-World Lessons from COVID-19: Driving Oncology Care Forward.”
This year-long President’s Theme will focus on three key lessons:
“Oncology professionals have shown remarkable resilience and innovation in the face of extraordinary challenges,” said Nelson. “Without a doubt, our community will use the lessons we’ve learned this past year to develop a blueprint for moving forward.”
The resources and tools that will be developed in conjunction with Ms. Nelson’s President’s Theme will be posted to this webpage as they become available.
During her term, Ms. Nelson hosted six virtual Coffee Chats—intimate and interactive conversations to better understand how ACCC can support your needs during this pivotal time in oncology.
To help members of the cancer care team better manage stress and improve their overall well-being, Ms. Nelson—and several special guests—hosted a Mindfulness Meditation series.

After convening its members, sponsors, and industry partners in Washington, DC, for the first time since the dawn of COVID-19, ACCC Buzz shares a glimpse of the activities and insights the final day at ACCC’s 48th Annual Meeting and Cancer Center Business Summit.

ACCC President Krista Nelson, MSW, LCSW, OSW-C, FAOSW, shares with us why she believes the theme of this year’s Social Work Month is important and how it ties into her own theme as ACCC’s new president.

One member of your cancer care team who plays an essential role yet often goes unrecognized is a patient’s caregiver. With the added work caregivers have had in the past year to keep their loved ones safe during the pandemic, the work they do is even more important today. To support cancer care teams looking to address the critical role caregivers play in patient support, ACCC recently launched a free, one-hour on-demand webinar.

Meeting the needs of cancer program staff to ultimately improve patient outcomes is at the heart of the presidential themes of ACCC’s current and immediate past presidents. CANCER BUZZ spoke to Krista Nelson, who advocated for the professional well-being of cancer program staff and Dr. David Penberthy, who aims to leverage technology to transform cancer care delivery and the patient experience. Hear how both tenures aim to focus on what’s most important in the cancer care community—supporting patients, clinicians, and staff.
Learn how organizations like Vidant Health and The Outer Banks Hospital are creating a healthier, more rewarding workplace by making employee wellness a strategic priority.

Training in community-based psychological first aid is a promising intervention that promotes adaptive functioning by instilling individuals with the knowledge and skills necessary to support oneself and others when stressful events occur.

Rather than fielding its annual Trending Now in Cancer Care survey while cancer programs were experiencing unprecedented challenges due to the extended public health emergency, ACCC chose to facilitate conversations with its members to capture the lived experiences of the most pertinent issues impacting oncology practice and care delivery.

This next year, as we emerge out of COVID-19’s shadow and into a landscape that has been forever altered by the worldwide pandemic, it is important that we reflect on what we witnessed this past year—not only the suffering but the “wins.”

In 2004 Providence Cancer Center, Portland, Ore., saw that patients with children were struggling to communicate with their families about their illness and developed the Providence Family Program, which uses a group model to deliver early and ongoing intervention and support throughout the cancer care journey.

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic and its associated risks for patients with cancer, all Life with Cancer programming was cancelled on Mar. 12, 2020. Staff, struggling with their own anxiety over personal safety, quickly went into action on how best to continue to meet the psychological and educational needs of patients and families.
![[Abstract e23017] National Organization Addresses Multidisciplinary Oncology Team Burnout and Resiliency Through Multifaceted Presidential Theme Education Initiative](https://cdn.sanity.io/images/0vv8moc6/accc-cancer/5b20d7e656fc57431577165821e05433f29294b9-3456x2016.jpg)
This is a visual representation of an online publication from the American Society of Clinical Oncology 2022 Annual Meeting, June 3 - 7, 2022.
A series of seven discipline-specific business briefs, including the justification for hiring oncology social workers, pharmacists, financial advocates, genetic counselors, and more.
This explainer video demonstrates how the Ask Me 3 tool promotes patient health literacy.