Graves, Schakowsky, and Roybal-Allard Introduce Bipartisan Resolution Recognizing 2020 National Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetists Week
WASHINGTON, DC - Today, U.S. Representatives Sam Graves (MO-06), Jan Schakowsky (IL-09), and Lucille Roybal-Allard (CA-40) introduced a bipartisan resolution, H. Res. 807, recognizing the 2020 National Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetists (CRNA) Week. The members of Congress, along with Kate Jansky, president of the American Association of Nurse Anesthetists, released the following statements:
"Nurse Anesthetists are incredibly important to our healthcare system, particularly in rural America. Providing quality care at a low cost is extremely critical to ensuring that folks are able to access the care that they need," Congressman Graves said."I want to thank all Nurse Anesthetists for the hard work they put into their craft and the care that they provide in North Missouri and around the country."
"Nurse anesthetists play an integral role in our health care system, and I am proud to honor their contributions with this bipartisan resolution recognizing this year's national Nurse Anesthetists Week," Congresswoman Schakowsky said. "Across Illinois and the nation, patients are increasingly in need of high-quality and cost-effective pain management that nurse anesthetists deliver. I hope that this resolution will raise awareness about their critical service."
"I am proud to co-lead this resolution recognizing our nation's more than 54,000 Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetists for the critical role they play in ensuring patient access to the highest levels of patient safety in anesthesia care and pain management across the United States," Rep. Roybal-Allard said. "Available evidence shows that CRNAs provide the same safe and high-grade anesthesia care as their physician colleagues, regardless of setting or patient population, while at the same time helping to bring down health care costs and increase access to care. In districts across the country, including urban settings like my 40th Congressional District of California, Nurse Anesthetists are key to providing timely access to compassionate, high quality, cost effective anesthesia care for more than 45 million patients each year.
"We are honored by the House of Representatives' resolution and the recognition it brings to the nurse anesthesia profession," AANA President Kate Jansky said. "You will find CRNAs in every possible practice setting. We provide anesthesia for traditional hospital surgical suites and obstetrical delivery rooms, critical access hospitals, ambulatory surgical centers, the offices of dentists, podiatrists, ophthalmologists, plastic surgeons, and pain management specialists, and in our nation's military service branches."
Text of the resolution can be found below:
Recognizing the roles and the contributions of America's Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetists (CRNAs) and their role in providing quality health care for the public.
Whereas Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetists (CRNAs) are essential to America's health care system, providing high-quality, cost-effective anesthesia care for more than 150 years;
Whereas CRNAs safely administer more than 49 million anesthetics to patients each year;
Whereas CRNAs are the primary providers of anesthesia care in rural America, enabling health care facilities in these medically underserved areas to offer obstetrical, surgical, trauma stabilization, pain management and a multitude of other services;
Whereas CRNAs practice in every setting in which anesthesia is delivered, including traditional hospital surgical suites and obstetrical delivery rooms; the offices of dentists, podiatrists, ophthalmologists, and plastic surgeons; ambulatory surgical centers; and United States Military and Public Health Services and Department of Veterans Affairs medical facilities;
Whereas nurses first provided anesthesia on the battlefields of the American Civil War. During WWI, nurse anesthetists became the predominant providers of anesthesia care to wounded soldiers on the front lines; today, CRNAs continue to be the primary providers of anesthesia care to U.S. military personnel on front lines, navy ships, and aircraft evacuation teams around the globe, and
Whereas the purpose of National CRNA Week, held January 19, 2020, through January 25, 2020, is to raise public awareness of and celebrate the Nation's 54,000 Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetists and student registered nurse anesthetists:
Now, therefore, be it
Resolved, That the House of Representatives thanks and promotes the profession of Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetists (CRNAs) by encouraging patients, hospital administrators, health care professionals, policymakers, and others to become more familiar with the CRNA credential, the exceptional advanced practice registered nurses who have earned it, and the important value and service they bring to our healthcare system by participating in National CRNA Week.
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