1-IMAG0275During the month of October, Josh Mailman, President of NorCal CarciNet Community made two trips to Washington D.C. on behalf of the NET Community. During his first trip of the month Josh attended the Society of Nuclear Medicine and Molecular Imaging (SNMMI) Patient Advocate Advisory meeting which he chairs.

At one of the meeting sessions representatives from Homeland Security presented information on how patients should be screened when returning to the US after receiving isotope therapy (PRRT). Homeland security feels that the extra process to clear a patient returning to US from treatment should take no more than 30 minutes although they acknowledged that it can sometimes take longer. Josh agreed to work with the SNMMI and Homeland to continue to improve the process and created a survey so we can better inform Homeland of how the process is working.  If you have returned from receiving treatment in the last 12 months please take the time to fill out the following survey.

On the second day of the SNMMI meeting Josh and fellow advocates meeting with staff of both Senate and House members working to educate and raise awareness for the need to fund nuclear medicine and research.

Josh's second trip to Washington D.C. was to attend a Board Meeting of the Education and Research Foundation for Nuclear Medicine and Molecular Imaging (ERF).  The ERF works with the SNMMI to fund young investigators with research and travel grants.  Josh is the sole patient advocate on the board.