Another Voice: Supervision of CRNAs is unnecessary and impedes care

Read President Sean McGarry's op-ed in the Buffalo News.

"Removing unnecessary supervision requirements increases access to care for all New Yorkers. This must be the priority. Right now, New York is the only state in the country that has not formally recognized the title and scope of practice of a CRNA. No more waiting! New York needs to come through for its CRNAs."

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In this month's newsletter, NYSANA President, Sean McGarry celebrates the profession of CRNAs.

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Stay up-to-date on the latest NYSANA news.

In this month's newsletter, NYSANA President, Sean McGarry discusses the legislative agenda 

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Simulation day at the Capital was a great success! We were pleased that news coverage featured NYSANA President Sean McGarry and the testimony of patient Michael Boots. You can watch it here.

Our next meeting at the state capital will be Tuesday, May 9, 2023. This is NYSANA's annual Advocacy Day where we will meet with legislators and push for our legislation. We will show strength through our numbers! Please plan to represent the profession. Registration will close on Friday, April 7 to allow time for the GRC committee to set up meetings for you with your State Senators and Assemblymembers. We hope you will join us!!

Chris Erlichman, BSN, RN and Yanet Segura, BSN, RN receive the 2022 Goldie Brangman Award

Goldie Brangman, CRNA, MEd, MBA was an accomplished CRNA and exceptional mentor. Goldie served as the first and only African American President of the American Association of Nurse Anesthesiology and President of NYSANA from 1960 - 1961. She famously treated Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., after a near-fatal assassination attempt in 1958.

Every year at the Annual Fall Meeting the Goldie Brangman Award winner is announced. This year, two nurse anesthesia residents were named for their outstanding research and demonstrated work.

We are pleased to announce the slate of candidates for the 2022 - 2023 Board of Directors! The candidates were announced at the NYSANA Business Meeting on May 1, 2022. Learn more about each candidate here. 

Electronic voting will open on Monday, July 11 at 9:00 AM and close at 11:59 PM on Tuesday, July 26.

Inside Edition goes in-depth on healthcare worker burnout in their latest article, "Plagued With COVID-Related PTSD and Burnout, the Healthcare Worker's Vocation to Help Endures Even 2 Years On". Yana Krmic, NYSANA Immediate Past President, and Dina Velocci, AANA President, share their experiences on worker burnout and the impact COVID-19 has had on healthcare workers.

The AANA offers support, information, and helpful resources through their Peer Assistance program. Learn more here or call their helpline at 800-654-5167. 

“You’re used to providing anesthesia care and saying to patients in the pre-op area, ‘I’ll give you something to go to sleep. You’re going to wake up, I’ll see you in the recovery room,’” nurse anesthetist Yana Krmic told Inside Edition Digital. Krmic was also the previous president of the New York State Association of Nurse Anesthetists. “Now, [you're] giving them the same anesthetics and realizing that you don’t know if they’re going to wake up.”

Our very own NYSANA President, Giovanna Mahar, was named to @City and State NY 2022 New York State Labor Power 100 List. This recognition highlights local leaders who are waging battles on behalf of the state’s workers.

This nomination recognizes Giovanna and the role NYSANA plays in pushing the state Legislature to broaden the responsibilities of CRNAs by passing scope of practice for CRNAs. Giovanna continues to advocate for CRNAs to operate without physician supervision by law – which we’ve been able to do during the COVID-19 pandemic thanks to the executive orders.

Dentistry Today, the Nations Leading Clinical News Magazine for Dentists, published NYSANA President, Giovanna Mahar's op-ed piece on "The Importance of Safe Anesthesia During Dental Care".

"Attitudes and habits established at an early age are critical in maintaining good oral health throughout life. During February, National Children’s Dental Health Month, it is important to know how to keep your child’s teeth healthy and that they have access to safe dental care in New York. As president of the New York State Association of Nurse Anesthetists and a mother of 4, I encourage parents to not only teach their children good dental habits, but also work with their dental team to help ensure the delivery of sedation or safe anesthesia care is provided by a qualified, licensed anesthesia professional such as a Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetist (CRNA)."

Last Wednesday, November 17, 2021, NYSANA President, Giovanna Mahar, took to the court room to testify in a Committee Hearing at the New York State Assembly about "Lessons Learned During the COVID-19 Pandemic." The Committee was interested in assessing the lessons learned during the pandemic, including the appropriateness of Executive Orders issued by the Governor during the declared emergency period as it relates to access to health care and training requirements of health care workers. Giovanna speaks upon the unnecessary restrictions placed on CRNAs and the significance of Executive Order 4, originally issued during the height of the pandemic by former Governor Cuomo. The order suspends the health code to remove the supervision requirements for advanced practice registered nurses with a doctorate or master’s degree specializing in the administration of anesthesia. This allows for CRNAs to have full scope of practice utilization and assists in patient care and staffing workload. Giovanna continues on to discuss the important role of CRNAs and the need for a formal scope of practice in New York State.

Watch Giovanna's full testimony here.

As we take the time this month to honor the more than 892,000 veterans who live in New York State, it is important to remember that we owe America’s veterans far more than words of gratitude. They have earned the best, most timely healthcare—without long waits and red tape—through the Veterans Administration (VA). As President of the New York State Association of Nurse Anesthetists I urge the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs to create national standards of practice that will allow Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetists (CRNAs) to practice at the full extent of their training, education, and licensure. Removing barriers so that advanced practice providers, including CRNAs, can practice to the top of the education and licensure is the right policy and honors those who have served our country.

This move will not only expand access to care for veterans but decrease wait times so that care can be delivered when they need it most, while decreasing the cost of that care for the VA.  In addition, it would allow the VA needed flexibility with rural facilities and providers working across state lines.

CRNAs are the primary providers of anesthesia care to U.S military personnel and our nation’s veterans. We thank these CRNAs for their critical service.

Nurses first provided anesthesia on the battlefields of the American Civil War. During World War I, nurse anesthetists became the predominant providers of anesthesia care to wounded soldiers on the front lines. Today, CRNAs have full practice authority in every branch of the military and are the primary providers of anesthesia care to U.S. military personnel on front lines, navy ships, and aircraft evacuation teams around the globe.

Katherine Marina Grosner, DNP, CRNA

Every year at the Annual Fall Meeting the Goldie Brangman Award is given to a deserving SRNA. Goldie Brangman, CRNA, MEd, MBA was an accomplished CRNA and exceptional mentor. She served as the first and only African American President of the American Association of Nurse Anesthesiology and President of NYSANA from 1960 - 1961. Goldie famously treated Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., after a near-fatal assassination attempt in 1958.  

This year's Goldie Brangman Award recipient is Katherine M. Grosner (University of Buffalo Nurse Anesthesia Program), Evaluating the Barriers to Opioid-Free Anesthesia for Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetists in Diverse Practice Settings through the Creation of a Survey Tool. Read below to learn more about Katherine, her research into opioid alternatives, what it means to her to be awarded the Goldie Brangman Award and why being a member of NYSANA is important

The life-saving work performed by CRNA’s during the pandemic and the game-changing impact of UltraCare’s innovative COVID-19 Emergency Response and Vaccine Teams was highlighted in the most recent segment of the educational television show "Viewpoint with Dennis Quaid."

The segment “Med-Tech Series: Managing & Administering the COVID-19 Vaccine” tells the story of how UltraCare quickly developed and deployed teams of CRNAs and other medical professionals from around the country to fill critical care gaps in hospital ICUs and to provide life protecting vaccinations to more than 200,000 seniors at elder care facilities in several states.

• 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.

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 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