ACCC Launches Pandemic-Era Returning to Practice Series

Rockville, MD - The Association of Community Cancer Centers (ACCC) today announced the launch of a new content series for cancer care practitioners: Returning to Practice in the COVID-19 Era.

The series is designed to help cancer care professionals navigate the uncertain environment of caring for patients with cancer and immunocompromised patients during the continued threat of a global pandemic, while vaccination rates remain alarmingly low and masking and social distancing mandates change daily. The project teaches multidisciplinary cancer care teams what to anticipate as they resume pre-pandemic services, specifically for patients with hematologic malignancies including chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL), acute myeloid leukemia (AML), and multiple myeloma (MM).

The learning content is intended to meet cancer care professionals where they are and in the limited time they have with learning tools available to access online or listen or view in mobile audio podcast and video-podcast formats. All educational materials were developed under the guidance of the Returning to Practice Task Forces, composed of experienced oncologists, oncology pharmacists, and oncology administrators.

Resources in the Returning to Practice Series include:

CANCER BUZZ TV (Video Podcast)

• Myeloma Care Strategies and COVID-19
• Ep 04: Chronic Lymphocytic Leukemia: Navigating Uncertainty

CANCER BUZZ (Audio Podcast)

• CLL Patient Education in Transitional Times
• Ep 57: COVID-19 Challenges: Managing Patients with CLL

On-Demand Webinars

• The COVID-19 Vaccine for Patients with CLL and Other Cancers
• Returning to Practice in the COVID-19 Era: Hematology Disease Education
• Learning from COVID-19: Coping Strategies for CLL Providers & Patients
• CLL Treatment Considerations: COVID-19 and Beyond

“Not only did the pandemic lead to sharp drops in cancer screenings and diagnoses, but it interrupted the ongoing treatment of many existing patients,” said Krista Nelson, MSW, LCSW, OSW-C, FAOSW, ACCC President and Program Manager of Quality & Research, Cancer Support Services and Compassion, Providence Cancer Institute. “Further, the regional impacts of the pandemic and locally based vaccination efforts mean cancer programs across the country are in different phases of recovery and trying to put in place new safeguards for their patients and staff—particularly the immunocompromised patients who are most vulnerable to infection.”

Returning to Practice Series resources can be found on ACCC’s website, on the CANCER BUZZ TV video podcast on Apple Podcasts, and on the CANCER BUZZ audio podcast, available on all popular podcast apps. The project was funded in part by AbbVie.

The Return to Practice Series joins ACCC’s suite of educational resources for the oncology care professional, including the peer-reviewed journal, Oncology Issues, CANCER BUZZ TV, the CANCER BUZZ podcast, and a host of educational tools, live and virtual conferences, webinars, and effective practice publications.