Hematology Initiatives
Following our DEI statement that was released in June 2020, our leadership convened town halls to hear from our nursing community. The feedback was overwhelmingly consistent — we as an organization need to focus more efforts on our pediatric hematology nursing community.
This page will share exciting hematology promotions and resources as they become available. Let us know how we can help you serve your patients and families.
Current Promotions
For a limited time, the following resources typically exclusive to members are available to our entire pediatric hematology community.
Member Connection — Hematology Community
The hematology discussion community is open to APHON members and allows you to network with your fellow hematology nursing peers — join the community.
Access to Hematology Education
Access the APHON Continuing Education (ACE) Center for online self-paced hematology learning activities:
- Zumab, Ximab, and Umab: Making Sense of Monoclonal Antibodies
- Starvation, Death, and Destruction: The Battlefield of AVN
- Beyond Pain Crises: Acute Complications of Sickle Cell Disease
- Why Does it Hurt? Acute and Chronic Pain in Sickle Cell Disease
- The Autoimmune Cytopenias: Deactivating the Self-Destruct Sequence
- CLABSIs – Why aren’t we at zero, and will we ever get there?
Members can log into the ACE Center and search the free CNE catalog to enroll in these courses and access them at their convenience in the Learning Center. At the completion of the course, you will be able to use a point from your CNE bank to earn 1 CNE contact hour at no cost. Additional CNE bank reloads credits may be purchased in the APHON Online Store.
Nonmembers may access the above hematology CNE courses at a cost of $29 in the Online Store. After completing your purchase, log into the ACE Center to find the purchased course available in your Learning Center. Please note that if you log into the ACE Center and don’t see these courses immediately available, you may have to log off and back in to refresh your account.
Grant Opportunities
Our grant program supports nursing research and evidence-based practice projects. New this year: we will support one evidence-based practice and one nursing research projects that advance the hematology nursing practice.
Advocacy
APHON actively engages in advocacy on behalf of hematology nurses and patients. This advocacy is reported on in the Advocacy Correspondent. For additional information on sign-on letters and outreach, visit the Advocacy page.
Sickle Cell Disease Spotlight
The Sickle Cell Disease Coalition (SCDC) released the State of Sickle Cell Disease: 2020 Report Card. This is an update to the report cards done in 2018 and 2016 as part of the State of Sickle Cell Disease project, which provides a snapshot of the state of four major categories impacting sickle cell disease (SCD): access to care in the US, training and professional education, research and clinical trials, and global issues. As an SCDC member, APHON is thrilled to share it with members.
APHON participated in the SCDC Virtual Annual Meeting on September 14, 2020. The meeting covered the 2020 Report Card, the impact of COVID-19 on SCD, and the impact of social justice issues on SCD. Information on how to get involved is available on the SCDC website.
APHON Participates in Congressional Briefing on Sickle Cell Disease and Joins in Sending Letter to House and Senate
APHON participated in a congressional briefing on October 8, 2020, on SCD hosted by the American Society of Hematology (ASH) and the Sickle Cell Disease Association of America (SCDAA), in conjunction with Senators Tim Scott (R-SC) and Cory Booker (D-NJ) and Representatives Danny K. Davis (D-IL) and Michael Burgess (R-TX). The briefing covered SCD and the National Academies of Science, Engineering, and Medicine report Addressing Sickle Cell Disease: A Strategic Plan and Blueprint for Action, specifically requesting funding for a longitudinal national registry of SCD patients in the United States that would allow quantification of the prevalence, life expectancy, and specific outcomes of SCD.
Following the congressional briefing, APHON joined ASH, SCDAA, and other SCDC members in calling on the House and Senate to fund the CDC’s Sickle Cell Data Collection Program in FY 2021. The letter seeks dedicated funding (1) to ensure that the data collection program can be fully implemented in those states that have worked with the CDC to develop their state-based programs and (2) to allow expansion to additional states with the goal of covering the majority of the US SCD population over the next 5 years.
Through this effort, Congress provided $2 million in dedicated funding for the CDC’s Sickle Cell Data Collection Program in the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2021.