I came to the conference with my daughter.   She is on the

board of GNCCF.   I’m so impressed by the dedication of the

women in this organization.  It makes me very proud to be

part of it.

When I first arrived, I felt a little intimidated.  I also felt that these “white” women would not understand my needs and the needs of my inner-city community experiences.  I was WRONG!  As the day progressed, I felt more and more welcomed. The speakers have been great! especially the speakers in the plenary sessions.  I am on my third day, I am glad I came.  The information I have been “armed” with will not only equip me but also to educate my community of african american women with breast cancer. Now that i know,  I want to be trained as an advocate  for NBCCF   THANK YOU!

First time here and the information is more than I can take in .I will be burning the midnight oil to have a small insight into what is going to be going on the next few days.

This being my first time at NBCCF, I plan to absorb as much as possible, network with others and have fun. It seems really interesting to have so many people dedicated to an important cause all in one place like this!

and the bowling tournament tonight!

With all of the serious talk about the need for a different kind of health care, you will be excited to know that we have a number of sessions directly related to health care reform and its impact on people with breast cancer. Healthcare reform is now squarely on the national agenda and various approaches, proposals and tools are being considered to get us there.  Join us for the following sessions to gain a comprehensive understanding of the issues.

Begin on Sunday with How Will Healthcare Reform Impact Breast Cancer (Plenary Session, Sunday 9:00 am), where we will delve into answering questions such as:
•    How will the proposed approaches impact people with breast cancer?
•    What will specific tools, such as health information technology and comparative effectiveness research, have to do with reform?
•    Should cost effectiveness play a role and are we willing to give up some access to achieve overarching reform? Finally, how can we assure that this process results in an affordable, evidence-based and ethical system?

After a quick break, take our new workshop Health Information Technology: Building the Information Highway (Session 1, Sunday 10:45 a.m.). Access to and use of personal health information is a component of NBCCF’s framework for health care reform. A major national effort is underway to create health information technology that will improve health outcomes, quality care and lower cost. You will examine current proposals and legislation for HIT, the challenges it poses and its place in healthcare reform.

After you have fortified yourself with some lunch at the Annual Membership Meeting Luncheon, head over to the Healthcare Reform 101: Guaranteed Access to Quality Healthcare workshop (Session 2, Sunday 2:00 p.m.), where you will learn about current legislative reform proposals currently under debate in relation to NBCC’s framework for comprehensive healthcare reform.  Learn how these proposals stack up, and sharpen your advocacy skills and knowledge needed to help achieve NBCC’s #1 priority: guaranteed access to quality healthcare for all. (link to our website page on this)

It’s not a complete look at health care reform until you’ve heard from key policy makers on how the new Congress and Administration are dealing with research funding and health care reform. So, on Monday, go to Politics And Breast Cancer: New Congress, New Administration… What Will They Do? (Plenary Session, Monday, 10:00 a.m) A key question to be answered is: how can advocates influence this process?

At this point in the conference, you will have learned quite a bit about healthcare reform, and you’ll be feeling pretty good, ready to go back to your communities and advocate.

But wait, there’s more!

Act now to build off of everything you’ve learned so far; don’t miss the Comparative Effectiveness: What Will it Mean for Healthcare Reform? workshop (Session 3, Monday 2:30 p.m.) where you will learn about the role of comparative effectiveness research in health care reform proposals.  Learn why this approach is important to consumers in decision-making Explore how comparative effectiveness research aids in healthcare policy-making and decision-making.

Now you’re ready to go!

Scholarship Deadline: 5:00pm EST on March 12, 2009

Scholarships to cover the cost of conference registration and/or lodging at the Omni Shoreham Hotel are available for NBCCF members in financial need. Application forms are available online.

Check out our Pre-Conference Brochure for plenary session and workshop details!