Creation of NET Champion Network

The Healing NET Foundation (HNF) has long recognized the significant role nurses and other allied healthcare providers play in patient care. HNF provided travel grants for nurses to attend the 2017 North American Neuroendocrine Tumor Society (NANETS) Annual Symposium--the feedback from those attendees alerted HNF to a need for more education and support for nurses working with NET patients. In early 2018, at the HNF International Summit, a task force met to discuss nurse navigation, and the HNF board supported the idea of serving nurses, which aligns with the HNF mission. In October 2018 HNF convened a nurse focus group to try to better understand the educational needs of nurses for treating NET patients. In April 2019, HNF convened a second group of nurses and nurse practitioners, who participated in a task force with physicians and industry representatives to examine how the needed education might be delivered and to explore the professional resources related to NET care that are available and that are missing. The five nurses at the Summit declared themselves to be NET Nurse Champions, but in a follow up meeting coined the phrase NET Champions to welcome a range of providers: nurses or advanced practitioners, navigators or others. With the development of this platform, HNF is excited to host the NET Champion Network as a clearinghouse for information and a peer-to-peer resource.