PANA Members Pack the Halls of Capitol in D.C.

The AANA Mid-Year Assembly is nurse anesthetists’ largest advocacy event of the year, and this year the Pennsylvania Association of Nurse Anesthetists (PANA) sent a small army to the nation’s capital to inform federal lawmakers and advocate for our shared profession.

📝PANA had 76 registrants for the annual event in Washington, D.C. Over the course of the assembly, which ran April 29 to May 3, Pennsylvania-based certified registered nurse anesthetists (CRNAs) and students (SRNAs), advocating in groups, convened 19 in-person meetings with lawmakers or their key staff members.

🏛️Where we couldn’t meet with lawmakers or staff, our team dropped off packets of information and promised to follow up to secure in-district meetings, something any of us can do whenever our schedules allow. Advocacy is key to promoting our issues and strengthening our profession.

The Mid-Year Assembly happened a bit later than usual this year, bumping up against PANA’s own Spring Symposium in Hershey, so the time crunch was a real challenge for many of our CRNAs and SRNAs, but the number of attendees proves our devotion to the cause.

PANA Members Pack the Halls of Capitol in D.C.

What’s more, for some of our SRNAs, the Mid-Year Assembly came during finals week, too. In fact, a few students from the University of Scranton School of Nurse Anesthesia went above and beyond --- not only in their advocacy but in their assigned schoolwork. They took finals remotely, either in the middle of the day or at the start of a long day running between office buildings to attend meetings. That commitment is impressive.

The Mid-Year Assembly offers five days of educational sessions, live speakers, legislative lobbying, and networking, all of which is important for attendees to gain the knowledge and tools to drive change in our profession, enhance their careers, and promote CRNAs at both the national and state levels.

🩺Thank you to everyone who participated. As tiring as Mid-Year Assembly can be, it is equally impressive, and the talent we see among our CRNAs and SRNAs gives us confidence in the good work we are doing to affect change that enhances our profession, improves health-care delivery models and ensures patients have affordable access to the highest level of care.

PANA Advocates with Senator Bob Casey

But wait...there's more 📷!

THANK YOU, CRNAs AND SRNAs FOR ATTENDING THE 2023 AANA MYA !!!

INTERESTED IN JOINING US? CLICK HERE FOR MORE INFORMATION

BLACK HISTORY MONTH: Brangman was a pioneer among her peers, leader in the field

Black History Month reminds us there is a lot of history within the nurse anesthesia profession. This month, we pause to celebrate the achievements of amazing, inspirational woman like Goldie Brangman, CRNA, MEd, MBA.

Brangman was an accomplished CRNA and an exceptional mentor for CRNAs all over the world. She served as the first and only African American President of the American Association of Nurse Anesthetists (AANA), and she was the founder and director of the Harlem Hospital School of Nurse Anesthesia.

Mentoring numerous CRNAs and specifically CRNAs of color, she was instrumental in the treatment of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. after a near-fatal assassination attempt in 1958. A letter opener had been jammed deep into his chest. He was rushed to Harlem Hospital where Brangman was a member of his surgery team.

Brangman was president of the New York Association of Nurse Anesthetists from 1960-1961, and won numerous awards and honors, including:

· Ann Magnussen Award (1996)

· Agatha Hodgins Award (1995)

· Helen Lamb Outstanding Educator Award (1983)

Brangman was an active participant at AANA meetings throughout the years, as well as Mid-Year Assembly.

She retired in 1985, living in Hawaii since 1987 and continuing to volunteer eight hours a day with the Red Cross long into her retirement. Brangman died in February 2020 at the age of 102.

Black History is everyone’s history --- and Goldie Brangman was a force to be reckoned with. We appreciate her expertise and trailblazing for young Black CRNAs. This month and every month, we celebrate you, Goldie!

VIEW MORE BLACK HISTORY MONTH STORIES

PANA Testifies Before House Committee on CAA Legislation

Department of State opposes licensing CAAs in Pa.

Members of the Pennsylvania Association of Nurse Anesthetists (PANA) testified today before the House Professional Licensure Committee to oppose legislation (H.B. 1956) that would license Certified Anesthesiologist Assistants (CAAs) for the first time in Pennsylvania.

Testifying were Jessica Poole DNAP, CRNA, director of State Government Affairs for PANA and lead Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetist (CRNA) at BPW Medical Associates, P.C.; Matthew McCoy DNP, CRNA, past president of PANA and assistant director of the Crozer Chester Medical Center/Villanova University Nurse Anesthesia Program; and Christopher A. Heiss, MSN, CRNA, a PANA trustee and a CRNA practicing everywhere from large tertiary care facilities to rural critical access hospitals throughout Pennsylvania.

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VIEW THE HEARING IN ITS ENTIRETY:

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PANA’s testifiers urged the committee to oppose the legislation. House Bill 1956 will not improve patient safety or enhance care. It will not reduce health-care costs, but instead, contribute to costlier care models. And it will not improve access to anesthesia services or address critical care shortages in underserved areas.

There is no meaningful research data concerning CAA anesthesia safety. Because CAAs must be directly supervised by an anesthesiologist, the provider redundancy of the CAA/anesthesiologist team is one of the costliest anesthesia delivery models. That also greatly limits their utilization in rural and underserved communities where anesthesiologists don’t practice.

GET ALL THE FACTS ABOUT H.B. 1956 HERE

The Pennsylvania Department of State also testified and opposed the licensing standards, noting that the agency “views creating another licensure class for professionals who are already nationally credentialed as repetitive and unnecessary.” The department also made clear that “CAAs would appear to fall within the definition of technician. While the practice acts and board regulations do not prohibit CAAs from practicing in the Commonwealth, the Department of State and the State Board of Medicine do not have the authority to regulate hospitals and other health care facilities. That authority falls under the Department of Health, in the Health Care Facilities Act.

A representative from the Hospital and Health System Association of Pennsylvania (HAP) also testified. Although HAP did not oppose the legislation, the organization did call for allowing CRNAs to practice to the fullest extent of their education and training to increase the number of qualified anesthesia providers in Pennsylvania.

Out-of-state CAAs also testified with Pennsylvania-based anesthesiologists.

VIEW ALL TESTIMONY

JESS POOLE

Poole Final.pdf

Download PDF • 152KB

MATT MCCOY

Matt McCoy Final.pdf

Download PDF • 164KB

CHRISTOPHER HEISS

Heiss - HPLC Testimony - Final.pdf

Download PDF • 73KB

PA DEPARTMENT OF STATE

4.25.22 - HPLC Testimony -DOS HB1956.pdf

Download PDF • 106KB

This is only the first step in a long legislative process. The hearing was informational only and the committee did not vote on the measure, which means under consideration. (Legislation must be approved by the committee before it goes to the full House for consideration.) No legislation has been introduced in the state Senate.

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