Informing Congress about the Needs of America's Cancer Survivors

Institute of Medicine

The Institute of Medicine (IoM) is the nation’s adviser to policymakers and business leaders on health and science issues. As a non-political, independent scientific adviser, the IoM provides advice and guidance that is unbiased and evidence-based. In the fall of 2005, the IoM released its report on cancer survivorship, From Cancer Patient to Cancer Survivor: Lost in Transition, which examined the range of medical and psychosocial issues facing survivors and made recommendations directed at all stakeholders in the cancer community. The report called for Congress to undertake specific actions to improve the follow-up care of cancer survivors.

In order to advocate for Congressional action, the IoM needed to ensure that Members of Congress were aware of the report and knowledgeable about the recommendations. Spectrum Science worked with IoM to coordinate and develop a Capitol Hill briefing for Members of Congress and their staff. After developing a targeted list of Members of Congress, Spectrum drafted “Dear Colleague” letters, conducted outreach to Member offices, and obtained signatures from Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pension Chair Mike Enzi and Ranking Member Edward Kennedy, as well as Representative Pete Stark.

Spectrum managed the on-site activity and coordinated event logistics. Follow-up outreach to targeted Member offices was conducted to further drive briefing attendance. Staff members from more than 30 Congressional offices attended the briefing, which provided background on the study and a thorough explanation of the report recommendations.