Mission:
We firmly believe in the philosophy of providing compassionat care, comfort, and support to Cancer patients, their caregivers and their families in order to mantain and/or promote quality of life through education, networking, and efficient utilitization of community resources
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Filipino Cancer Network of America-Metropolitan Houston
First Filipino-American Cancer Support Group
Under the auspices of the Houston Asian Cancer Council, Officers of the Philippine Nurses Association of Metropolitan Houston and other interested parties recently spearheaded the Filipino Cancer Network of America-Metropolitan Houston (FCNA-MH) and established the first Cancer Support Group for Filipino-Americans. Led by PNAMH immediate past President Cherry Sloan Medrano, RN, BSN, CCM, BC, OCN, current President-Elect Riza Mauricio, RN, MSN, CCRN, CPNP and Public Relations Officer Emee Nisnisan, RN, BSN, CMOM the 44 members of the new organization participated in mandatory facilitators' training at American Cancer Society. Group members, supported by the Asian Cancer Council, include nurses, physicians, cancer patients and survivors, media personnel, and educators.
"We want the organization to become recognized for its firm commitment and dedication to cancer
prevention and support for Filipino-Americans affected by cancer," said Sloan-Medrano.
The group's mission is to provide compassionate care and support to patients with cancer to maintain or promote quality of life through education, networking, and efficient utilization of community resources. The group hopes to expand through collaboration with the Philippine Nurses Association of America and other cancer-related organizations and by forming chapters in other states and countries. Nurses from two Metro Houston organizations were invited to join the Asian Cancer Council in the summer of 2007 By Dr. Beng Ho, the Chair of the Organization and a retiree from MD Anderson Cancer Center. The then sitting president, Cherry Sloan-Medrano, RN, BSN, CCM, BC. OCN and the Chairperson of the Community Outreach Committee, Emee Nisnisan, RN, BSN, CMOM of the Philippine Nurses Association of Metropolitan Houston lead the group and campaigned to entice other PNAMH and the Houston Lions Millennium of TX t(HLMC) members to join the Asian Cancer Council. This council is supported by the American Cancer Society. After a couple of months, the Filipino nurses were made aware that they are the only ethnic group in TX who do not have any cancer support group even though they are one of the biggest groups engaged in health care in the community. This presented as a challenge to the Cherry and Emee and an impetus to start a Cancer Support Group for Filipino-Americans. They went to work and convinced Filipino nurses, physicians and other professionals to join together as a group to provide this very important service to the Filipino-American Community.
Through the American Cancer Society, forty four professionals went through a mandatory Facilitators' Training in December of 2007. The basics of facilitating a Cancer Support group were discussed including group dynamics, confidentiality and utilization of resources. The group was made up of 2/3 nurses, a couple of physicians, a couple of Cancer patients and survivors, media personnel and some other health care professionals and educators. They were all excited to learn more about Cancer support and how they can assist to facilitate the groups. It was pointed out to the trained group that only the Nurses and the Physicians can actually facilitate the support groups and the rest may co-facilitate. It was acceptable to the whole group. A lot of nurses trained for those two days work at UT MD Anderson Cancer Center in Houston, Texas. A good number of the facilitators are members of the HLMC including Cherry and Emee.
Still in its formative stage, the group decided to meet for the first time as a cohesive group on January 26, 2008 at the American Cancer Society facility from 10AM -12 Noon. This date, the FCNA-MH was born! Half of the trained facilitators attended this very important meeting. Cherry presented her concept as to the Mission and Vision of the organization, its goals and various positions in the organization with specific roles as she saw it. An animated discussion ensued including the official name of the organization: Filipino Cancer Network of America-Metropolitan Houston. The Mission/Vision of FCNA-MH was agreed upon by those present, positions identified and agreed upon with roles and responsibilities defined. Cherry was unanimously voted as the natural Overall Coordinator of the group (being an employee of a Cancer Outreach Company) supported by two C-Coordinators: Maria Emee Nisnisan, RN, BSN, CMOM and Riza Mauricio, RN, MSN, CCRN, CPNP. Cherry is a Case Manager at UT MD Anderson Physicians Network , Riza is a Pediatric Nurse Practitioner at UT MD Anderson Children's Cancer Center /MDACC Cancer Center and Emee Nisnisan is the Office Manager of her Internist husband, Dr. Josier Nisnisan.
There will be four groups: The Newly Diagnosed Group, Actively Treated Group, The Follow
Up/Survivors Group and the Cancer Prevention Education Group. Each group will have a Facilitator/s
and co-Facilitators except the Cancer Prevention Education Group with two Co-chairs. These groups
were defined as what time frames the patients would fall from their date of diagnosis and onto their
treatment and five years of NED (No Evidence of Disease). Several nurses volunteered to be the
Facilitators of the groups and others as co-facilitators.
The organizational structure was also presented to the group by Cherry and was tweaked with Chona
Sano, RN (works at ACP Home Health Care) and Bill Foster's, RN, AD (works at St. Luke's Episcopal
Hospital) assistance to reflect the various elected and appointed positions including the overall
Coordinator, Co-Coordinators, Secretary, Asst. Secretary, Treasurer, Asst. Treasurer, Lead Public
Relations Officer and other PROS. The first officers volunteered or were volunteered: Secretary-Nina
Lumbera, RN, BSN, CNOR, Asst. Secretary- Sabrina Galarion, RN, BSN, Treasurer-Luz Reyes, RN,
BSN, CNOR, FA, Asst. Treasurer- Bill Foster, RN, AD, Lead PRO- Tess Tuazon , other PROS- Arlita
Pang, RN,BSN, Eufe Chua,RN, BSN , Rosnela Hardesty, RN, BSN, CNOR, Chona Sano, RN, BSN,
Ave Basa with Filipino Press and Jimmy Viray with Manila Bulletin. There was discussion on the
organization's LOGO and official slogan. The acceptable Logo was presented by Arlita Pang, RN,
BSN, an HLMC member herself and the Owner / Administrator of ACP Home Health Company. The
following Committees were formed: Budget and Finance, By Laws, Education, Ways and Means,
Research and Grants, Publicity and Policy and Procedure Committees.
After several tweaking of the Logo and slogan, the group decided to have its official Logo and the
slogan: Together. we care!
The group decided to meet on every first Saturday of the month except July and December at the ACS facility from 10AM-12 Noon. Other discussion ensued on incorporation of the organization, By-laws; grant applications, advertisements creation of a web site, establishment of a 1-800 dedicated phone line, media contacts, marketing, facilitators' continuing education, group dynamics , funding, etc. Open
House on 08/09/2008.
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Vision:
The Filipino Cancer Network of America-Metropolitan Houston in collaboration with other organizations will be well established and thriving community-based organization recognized for its firm commitment and dedication to Cancer prevention and support for Filipino-Americans affected by Cancer.
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