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

Governor Cuomo has extended his Executive Order through April 20, 2021, allowing CRNAs to practice independently under the current State of Emergency as it relates to COVID-19.

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NYSANA Members:

Whether you are new to NYSANA and just starting your career as a Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetist or have been a member of our association for many years, it is important to stay involved in all NYSANA-led advocacy efforts. Your voice is important in advancing our profession.

That’s why next month we invite you to join a Zoom with our lobbyist, Amy Kellogg to learn more about the importance of advocacy. On April 8 at 7:00 p.m. Amy will present a training session on how to advocate for our profession and get the attention of our public officials. Instructions will be provided during the call. Please try to attend!

Join the Zoom Meeting here:
https://hselaw.zoom.us/j/5215873870?pwd=SFFOUjJTcFp4WU55eloyMEhjamxxdz09
Meeting ID: 521 587 3870 Passcode: 072677

Mid-Year Meeting
The AANA Mid-Year Assembly will be held virtually this year on April 23 - 25, 2021. The educational content will begin April 24. You will build advocacy skills while simultaneously earning 9.5 Class A CE credits and get advice from respected political power players. I encourage you all to register and learn about the latest healthcare policies that are impacting our profession.

Board Appointments
Lastly, I urge you to join me in serving NYSANA at the leadership level. Build your professional circle and network by becoming a NYSANA board member. We will have two director spots, treasurer and vice president positions open for the 2021 - 2022 term. Please email me at [email protected] if you are interested.

Thank you for your ongoing support and dedication to our profession.

Sincerely,

Yana Krmic
President, NYSANA

NYSANA Members:

I have an important legislative update to share as it relates to Governor Cuomo’s Executive Order 202.91, which temporarily waives supervision requirements for CRNAs. The current order is now extended through February 22, 2021. We thank Governor Cuomo again for recognizing CRNAs and the significant contributions we are making on the frontlines during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Additionally, we are hard at work on a new bill to bring before our legislators this year that looks to redefine the role of CRNAs as APRNs. We will keep you informed on its status.

What wonderful news to receive during CRNA Week! I thank you for your ongoing advocacy and participation in our legislative efforts. Together, we can advance our profession in New York state.

Sincerely,

Yana Krmic
President, NYSANA

Fellow NYSANA Members:

Happy New Year! I am excited for what’s in store for our association in 2021. We have exciting updates to share as we kick off the year.

Legislative Update
The New York State Legislature began a new legislative session on Wednesday, January 6, 2021 when they convened virtually to elect their leadership. The legislative session is scheduled to run through mid-June, and we anticipate that this session will likely be done fully remotely. We are also anticipating that the focus for now will be on the budget and figuring out how to balance a $15 billion deficit. As this is the start of a new legislative session, all bills must be reintroduced. We are in the process of working on getting our scope of practice legislation introduced in both houses. As soon as we have the new bill numbers, we will pass that information along.

We are also pleased to report that the executive order issued by Governor Andrew Cuomo in March, which suspended 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, has once again been extended. Executive Order 202.87 extended this suspension until January 29, 2021. We anticipate that this order will continue to be extended until the pandemic is more controlled and most New Yorkers have received the vaccine.

As a reminder, we encourage each of you to work closely with your facilities as it is a facility decision on how to interpret the Governor’s executive order. As the new legislative session begins, we are focused on our scope of practice legislation and will continue to talk with both houses and the Governor’s office about passing this legislation into law and finally recognizing the profession in New York and removing unnecessary practice restrictions. We will send more information on how you can get involved and help this effort once the bill has been introduced, and we have a better idea of whether we will be contemplating a lobby day in Albany or virtually.

CRNA Week
CRNA Week 2021 is right around the corner, and our leadership has been busy planning a fun-filled week to celebrate our profession. Please be sure to monitor social media for these announcements.

As part of our celebration of CRNA Week, we would like to highlight the many different faces of our association on social media. Please share an on-the-job photo with some information about why you became a CRNA and what you love about the profession. All submissions can be sent to [email protected].

As always, thank you for your commitment and dedication to our profession and our association. We look forward to what’s ahead in the coming year.

Sincerely,

Yana Krmic
President, NYSANA

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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At President Trump’s direction, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) today is issuing an unprecedented array of temporary regulatory waivers and new rules to equip the American healthcare system with maximum flexibility to respond to the 2019 Novel Coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. CMS sets and enforces essential quality and safety standards for the nation’s healthcare system, and is the nation’s largest health insurer serving more than 140 million Americans through Medicare, Medicaid, the Children’s Health Insurance Program, and Federal Exchanges.

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