COA Patient Advocacy Network

News Bulletin: Quarter 4

A Note from the Director of Patient Advocacy & Education

Everything we do at CPAN helps protect and advance the local, high-quality care that community oncology practices provide. We empower advocates across the country to propel wins at the federal and state levels.

Our achievements of 2025 were not possible without dedicated CPAN advocates: 

• Gaining insights into federal policy developments at COA’s State of Community Oncology briefing in Washington, D.C.

• Diving deep as effective supporters of community cancer care at the COA Conference, where attendees learned the fundamentals of advocacy and COA’s policy priorities with the return of the Advocacy Track (Join us in 2026!)

• Sharing personal experiences that reinforce patient-first policies with congressional representatives at Patient Hill Day and throughout the year

Our work didn’t stop there. Monthly Advocacy Chats featuring national leaders discussing timely policy and advocacy topics brought together more than 1,000 participants throughout the year. Collaboration across COA networks and engagement with other national advocacy groups and industry partners provided connections that strengthened our bonds as advocates. I am deeply grateful.

Looking ahead to 2026, COA’s focus is on innovation. Community oncology is innovating every day, from embracing what’s best about artificial intelligence, to treating patients with next-generation therapies and supporting new models of cancer care. It’s up to us to ensure community oncology can continue to deliver the latest and greatest for patients where they live and work. There will be multiple opportunities to educate and engage in the year ahead.

Thank you for your advocacy and support. I hope you have a warm and safe holiday season, and I look forward to what we’ll accomplish together in 2026. 

Sincerely,

Rose Gerber, MS

COA Director of Patient Advocacy & Education

Upcoming Advocacy Opportunities

• February 4: Virtual Advocacy Chat: COA's Crystal Ball: What Can We Expect in 2026?
• April 28-29: 2026 Community Oncology Conference - Orlando, FL

Contact your local CPAN Chapter Advocacy Leader or Rose Gerber, MS, to learn how to get involved. 

Advocate for Innovative Cancer Care at the 2026 Community Oncology Conference



Innovation is the foundation of independent community oncology, and advocacy is critical to promoting policies that allow patients to get the latest advancements in cancer care.

The COA conference is where community oncology gathers to solve today’s most pressing challenges and learn about innovation happening in practices all over. The 2026 conference helps advocates hone their skills and stay up to date on cancer care policy, so they can help build a healthy future for community oncology.

Join us April 28-29, 2026, in Orlando, Fla. Register before Feb. 23 for 20% off. 

The Value of Independent Community Oncology



Breast cancer treatment can span years, requiring regular physician visits for treatments and checkups. Keeping patients close to home, their families, and support networks helps to lessen the burden of this devastating disease. Independent local practices like Coastal Cancer Center in Myrtle Beach, SC, help patients every step of the way.

Dr. Emily Touloukian, president and CEO of Coastal Cancer Center and COA Board secretary, spoke with her local newspaper during Breast Cancer Awareness Month about how community oncology’s local and personal approach supports patients with breast cancer and their families. Read the article.

Health Policy 101: Addressing Drug Shortages [Video – 90 Seconds]

The United States is regularly in a crisis level shortage of essential cancer medications, despite being relatively inexpensive to produce. Congress can ensure patients get cancer treatments when they need them by addressing the root causes of drug shortages, including cutting out pharmacy benefit managers and bringing manufacturing stateside. Watch the latest Cancer Policy Minute to learn more. 

Recap Recent CPAN Advocacy Chats

Engaging conversations with cancer advocates, survivors, and professionals from around the country on community oncology’s most pressing topics.

December: Advocates across the country made their voices heard on Capitol Hill and in state capitols this year, strengthening independent community oncology’s local, high-quality approach to cancer care. Chelsey Karr, CRNP, and Rebekah Ormond from Clearview Cancer Institute—the newest CPAN chapter—joined COA’s Rose Gerber, MS, to celebrate the important advocacy strides made in 2025.

November: Caregivers play a critical role in a person’s cancer journey, from managing their loved one’s medications, to transporting them to and from appointments, and much more. Darcie Champagne Wells, president and CEO of CanCare, and COA’s Rose Gerber, MS, discussed the importance of caregivers in cancer care and highlighted supportive resources for caregivers.

October: Pharmacy benefit managers—or PBMs—have ballooned into massive corporations that delay and deny patients access to their medicines. COA’s Director of Clinical Initiatives, Christine Pfaff, RPh, MBA, and Rose Gerber, MS, discussed how PBMs’ dirty tricks put their own profits over patients’ health and what patients can do if their PBM blocks access to their doctor-prescribed treatments. 



Stream recent Advocacy Chats on @OncologyCOA's YouTube channel. 

Why ‘starving cancer’ could be key to slowing disease growth, according to doctors

Fox News 11/21

What we eat plays a major role in our health and well-being, especially in the development of chronic disease. On a recent episode of Dr. Mark Hyman’s podcast, "The Dr. Hyman Show," the physician and Function Health co-founder spoke about how eating habits can change the course of illness.



Pharmacy deserts: Why more pharmacies are disappearing from neighborhoods

NBC Philadelphia 11/17

Malinda Fields was three days away from her diabetes medication running out. “That’s a matter of life and death,” Fields said. The Northeast Philadelphia Rite Aid that Fields was going to closed along with the drugstore chain’s other locations in September 2025.

Ultra-Processed Foods Linked to Increased Risk of Precancerous Polyps, Study Finds

NBC News, 11/13

Eating more ultra-processed foods—which make up the bulk of the average American’s diet—is linked to an increased risk of precancerous colorectal growths in women under age 50, according to a new study published in JAMA Oncology. Women who ate the most ultra-processed foods were 1.5 times more likely to develop a colorectal growth than those who ate the fewest.