ACCC President Highlights Oncology Community Response to COVID-19 Pandemic

Randall A. Oyer, MD, medical director at the Ann B. Barshinger Cancer Institute of Penn Medicine Lancaster General in Pennsylvania, and current president of the Association of Community Cancer Centers (ACCC), discusses the importance of the ACCC community during the unprecedented coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic.

The pandemic crystalized the importance of community, at home, in the professional setting, and the bigger community known as ACCC, says Oyer. When something unknown happens, we look for precedent, but there was none for this scenario. Members leaned on each other for support, however, during these new and challenging times.

Colleagues within the ACCC community who were at the forefront of the pandemic in areas such as Seattle and New York were able to share their experiences with the community to show what they have done, what they have tried, and what they have learned, Oyer says. Whether physicians interact via programs, blogs, written material, or during physical meetings, physicians in the ACCC community are readily available to help each other in times of need, which is what Oyer believes the community is about.