• Pharmaco-Who? Pharmacogenomics in Anesthesia Care & Preoperative risk stratification: What do we need to know now? with Dru Riddle, Texas Christian University, Associate Professor of Professional Practice, School of Nurse Anesthesia. North Star Anesthesia.  Region Director, AANA PhD, DNP, CRNA, FAAN 
• Anesthesia Reimbursement and Compliance & Cost Effective Analysis - Best Practices with Dr. Juan Quintana, COO, Sleepy Anesthesia Associates, LLC, Past President AANA, DNP, MHS, CRNA
• NYSANA Update to the Membership with Yana Krmic, President, NYSANA, CRNA, MSN
• Effective Member Advocacy to Drive Change with Ralph Kohl, Senior Director, Federal Government Affairs, AANA 
• AANA Update to Membership & Caring for the Parturient with Co-Morbidities with Dina Velocci, President, AANA , DNP, CRNA
• Sleeping with Mary Jane: Cannabis Considerations for the CRNA with Daniel D. King, DNP, CRNA, CPPS

Learn more about the Fall Meeting speakers here!

Advocates say that every day a piece of legislation awaits Governor Cuomo signature, lives could be at risk. Legislation that would allow medical helicopters to carry blood and perform transfusions passed the Senate and Assembly last month but needs Cuomo’s approval to become law. The story of Binghamton resident Travis Flanagan inspired many lawmakers who worked on the bill. Flanagan was in a horrific farming accident in March that lead to both of his legs being amputated. Flanagan, who works as a Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetist, believes the blood Guthrie Air had on board saved his life. Flanagan has enlisted the assistance of his colleagues in the New York State Association of Nurse Anesthetists in raising awareness of the issue and lobbying the Governor to sign the legislation.

Meanwhile, Flanagan has been fitted for prosthetic legs with a goal of being able to stand for the birth of his third child who is due on July 15th.

Watch the Interview Here

We are pleased to announce the slate of candidates for the 2021/2022 board! The following candidates were announced at the NYSANA Business Meeting on May 15, 2021. Learn more about each candidate here. 

Electronic voting will open on Tuesday, July 6 at 9:00 AM and conclude on Tuesday, July 20.

NYSANA President, Yana Krmic was featured on Spectrum News’ Capital Tonight, calling on lawmakers to make permanent the provision approved by Gov. Andrew Cuomo during the pandemic that allowed nurse anesthetists to administer anesthesia without the supervision of a physician or a surgeon. Removing the supervision requirement would have a huge impact on patient care and access and ease budgetary pressure for health care workers. Check it out: https://bit.ly/2TVpioR

NYSANA continues to fight for our CRNA’s to get both a license and autonomy in our work. At the height of the pandemic, Governor Cuomo allowed CRNA’s to practice without being supervised by a physician as we performed countless intubations in life and death situations for Covid-19 patients. Now, we want that executive order to be made permanent.  New York State is the only state in the nation that does not recognize the certified registered nurse anesthetist in this way. Check out President, Yana Krmic on CBS6 fighting for our CRNAs https://bit.ly/3iFH0qz

A certified registered nurse anesthetist (CRNA) works as an advanced practice registered nurse (APRN) who administers anesthesia to patients, typically during surgical, diagnostic, obstetric or other medical procedures. CRNAs complete advanced nursing degrees either at the master’s or doctoral levels. In addition to their advanced nursing degrees, CRNA candidates must obtain national certification in their field. Here’s a look at the extensive education CRNAs receive.

NYSANA Members:

On the heels of the 2021 National Nurses Week celebration, we again want to say THANK YOU for all that you do.

Please click on the video here that showcases some of our NYSANA member CRNAs in action.

Nurses Week provides the opportunity to recognize our nurse anesthetists for all your hard work and efforts. You have dedicated your lives to the medical field and helping others. Over the past year, nurse anesthetists have selflessly entered unknown territory and risked their lives for our health and the greater good. We are extremely grateful to you for making that choice and we can't thank you enough.

NYSANA sees you and the hard work and passion you continue to pour into your work each and every day. This past year we stood united and proved that together we are resilient and stronger. Thank you for the way you've selflessly stepped up to the frontlines and performed essential roles throughout your communities and across the state. We're in this together. We are stronger together. 

Thank you!

Yana Krmic,
President, NYSANA

NYSANA Lobbyist Amy Kellogg encourages members to contact your local lawmakers and educate them on our important legislative priorities because no one can tell our story better than we can.

Watch the Video Here

Welcome Molly Metzger, NYSANA’s new executive director. Molly’s objective is to alleviate any operational and administrative duties so that you, the NYSANA member and leaders, can continue to move the association forward. 

Watch the Video Here

We cannot be complacent and watch from the sidelines. If we want to make a difference, if we wish to move this association forward, than we have to advocate and let our voices be heard. “Our future as a CRNA depends on you.” That is the message from NYSANA President, Yana Krmic. 

Watch the Video Here

Being a CRNA is extremely rewarding, but can also be incredibly stressful and even traumatic at times. This past year was especially trying. Now more than ever it is time to check your mental health or reach out to a colleague who may be showing signs that they are struggling. Psychologist Dr. Drew Anderson points out things to look for in someone who may be in crisis or on the verge and how you can help.

Watch the Video Here

Watch NYSANA President Yana Krmic on News12 Westchester's Power & Politics with Scott McGee. Yana explains how CRNA's stepped up to meet the challenges of the pandemic by practicing independently and to the full extent of their education, as authorized by Governor Andrew Cuomo’sexecutive order. The value of CRNAs at this critical time cannot be underestimated. NYSANA is continuing to advocate for legislation in New York state to make these emergency changes permanent.

https://westchester.news12.com/power-and-politics-full-show-for-may-9-2021

Responses from a Member Survey Revealed the Countless Ways CRNAs Across New York Stepped Up During COVID-19 When Governor Cuomo Removed Unnecessary Practice Barriers

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The COVID-19 pandemic has made clear that government licensing of health professionals blocks access to care. Licensing gives state politicians the final word on allowable categories of clinicians, the education and training requirements for each category, and the range of services each category of clinician may perform. It reduces access to health services by increasing prices and reducing the supply of clinicians who can provide those services. It harms health professionals by preventing them from providing services they are competent to provide and by preventing capable individuals from entering or rising within health professions. By suspending such rules to improve access to care for COVID-19 patients, states have acknowledged that licensing prevents clinicians from providing services they are competent to provide.

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When Jeremy Carlisle, CRNA, from Springfield, Ore., to New York City, he was struck by how few people were on his flight. “Maybe there were 15 of us on a 200-seat airplane.” Carlisle, a member of the American Association of Nurse Anesthetists (AANA), was on his way to serve on the COVID-19 frontlines of care.

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After Katherine “Katy” Dean was furloughed in March and could not find a job in her field, she found herself applying for a position in New York City at the height of the coronavirus pandemic.

“There were a lot of CRNA (Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetist) that were in the same kind of predicament I was in,” she said. “They were part-time people who weren’t working but also kind of felt called to do something.”

The Williamsburg mother of four previously worked as a nurse anesthetist for North American Partners in Anesthesia, or NAPA, part-time at Riverside Regional Medical Center in Newport News before she signed a month-long contract with LocumTenens to work at Mount Sinai Hospital in April.

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U.S. Army Major Timothy Yourk, DNP, CRNA, was given 24-hour notice to gather gear and equipment before his deployment with the 11 Field Hospital (1 Medical Brigade) from Fort Hood, Texas, to New York City in March.

“At the time, very little was known. I didn’t know what equipment or supplies I would be falling in on,” said Yourk who, during his 15-year tenure in the Army, has been deployed to Iraq, Kuwait, and Yemen. Upon his arrival in New York, however, it was apparent to Yourk and his team of CRNAs that they were embarking on a “completely unprecedented” mission—one that would require “flexibility and adaptability in a rapidly changing environment,” while safely and effectively caring for COVID-19 patients, he said.

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Before the COVID-19 pandemic, Dr. Michael Greco’s team focused on treating patients in operating rooms or outpatient surgery suites. “Our days have changed significantly,” said Greco, Ph.D., DMP, CRNA. As Assistant Vice President for the Nurse Anesthesia Practice at Northwell Hospital--New York’s largest healthcare system serving New York City, Long Island, and Westchester—all of Greco’s facilities have CRNA teams managing COVID-19 patients—in an innovative way.  

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Like other healthcare providers across the country, Laura Ardizzone, DNP, CRNA, ACNP, DCC, has not had a typical day for several weeks. As director of nurse anesthesia services overseeing more than 130 Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetists (CRNAs) in a cancer-only facility, her first priority is to care for cancer patients at the New York City-based Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center.

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