June 2, 2025

Dear Colleagues, 

The final quarter of Membership Year 2025 is here, and AANA and your Board of Directors are finishing strong as we advocate for this year’s vital issues and prepare for the upcoming year. 

Decisions being made on Capitol Hill and in state legislative bodies profoundly affect your patients, practice, and current and future livelihood. Our thanks go to all of our members who join us in advancing the interests of our profession on the federal and state levels. 

If you haven’t already, be sure to write your U.S. legislators in support of AANA-supported healthcare policies! Active CRNAdvocacy grassroots opportunities include:  

• Ask your Senators and Representative to cosponsor the “ICAN Act.”  

• Ask your Representative to cosponsor the “Ensuring Veterans Timely Access to Anesthesia Care Act.” 

• Ask your Senators and Representative to support the “Title VIII Nursing Workforce Reauthorization Act.” 

Congratulations—and thanks—are in order 

The AANA 2025 (MY2026) election results are in. Congratulations to the newly elected members of the MY26 Board of Directors, Bylaws and Resolutions Committee, and Leadership Identification Committee. Thank you to all candidates who participated and members who voted in the election. Your involvement keeps AANA and our profession strong. 

As we are in the midst of graduation season, congratulations are also in order for all who have completed their nurse anesthesiology education this spring. You made it! Wherever your path takes you, take a moment to reflect with pride on how much you have learned and how far you have come. Welcome to our profession!  

Sincerely, 

The AANA Board of Directors 

Questions for the AANA Board of Directors 

If you have general questions for the Board of Directors, please reach out to them at: Board-of-Directors@aana.com 

 
To avoid multiple responses, the AANA Vice President will triage these inquiries and reply on behalf of the Board.

IN THIS ISSUE

• AANA Applauds Introduction of Nursing Workforce Program Reauthorization 

• Nursing Community Coalition Releases Statement on Nursing Priorities  

• Congratulations to the Newly Elected Members of the MY26 Board of Directors and Elected Committees 

• AANA Releases Updated Practice Documents at Mid-Year Assembly 

ADVOCACY UPDATES

AANA Applauds Introduction of Nursing Workforce Program Reauthorization

AANA applauds the introduction of the Title VIII Nursing Workforce Reauthorization Act of 2025 in the House and Senate. This important legislation will protect these critical programs that provide funding for the nation’s nurses, nursing programs, nursing faculty, and nursing students. As we continue to face a shortage of nurses and other health professionals, it is more important than ever that Congress protect these programs through full reauthorization and by providing robust funding. The AANA thanks Sens. Jeff Merkley (D-OR), Susan Collins (R-ME), Marsha Blackburn (R-TN), and Tammy Baldwin (D-WI) as well as House Nursing Caucus co-chairs Reps. Dave Joyce (R-OH), Suzanne Bonamici (D-OR), and vice-chairs Reps. Jen Kiggans (R-VA) and Lauren Underwood (D-IL) for their critical leadership on these issues and for introducing this important legislation. Read more.

Nursing Community Coalition Releases Statement on Nursing Priorities

On May 12, the Nursing Community Coalition (NCC), a coalition of 64 national nursing organizations, released a statement on the coalition’s priorities. The AANA serves as a member of the NCC Steering Committee. The statement highlighted the importance of Title VIII Nursing Workforce Development Funding as well as the National Institute of Nursing Research (NINR). Both have come under fire recently with a draft budget document from the administration cutting almost all Title VIII programs and eliminating the NINR as a standalone institute in the National Institutes of Health (NIH).  

The statement came after the administration put out a statement recognizing National Nurses Day. The statement touted the importance of nursing to keeping America healthy, stating, “Nurses reflect the character of America and epitomize the inexhaustible capacity of the human spirit. As we stand at the threshold of our new Golden Age, our nurses stand ready to make America stronger and healthier than ever before.  On this National Nurses Day, Melania and I join with every citizen in extending our wholehearted gratitude and utmost respect to these invaluable healthcare professionals.” 

The AANA continues to work with the administration and Congress to highlight the importance of nursing workforce programs and the need to increase funding.  

SIGNIFICANT NEWS

Congratulations to the Newly Elected Members of the MY26 Board of Directors and Elected Committees

Results for the 2025 AANA Election are now available. (Member login required.) Results will also be announced during the 2025 Annual Business Meeting. Thank you to everyone who participated in the important process. 

Your feedback on the election is appreciated - please complete this brief survey by June 17. 

AANA Releases Updated Practice Documents at Mid-Year Assembly 

At Mid-Year Assembly, the Board of Directors approved the updated Infection Control and Prevention Guidelines and the updated Discharge After Sedation or Anesthesia on the Day of the Procedure: Patient Transportation With or Without a Responsible Individual. 

The Infection Control and Prevention Guidelines were developed, researched, and updated by the Infection Control Advisory Panel to offer guidance on best practices and minimize the risk of infection to patients, CRNAs/nurse anesthesiologists, and other healthcare providers across all healthcare settings.

Topics covered in the guidelines include standard precautions; safe medication preparation and injection practices; equipment and environmental cleaning, disinfection, and sterilization; invasive procedure technique; vaccinations, post exposure prophylaxis, and screening; role of the CRNA in reducing ventilator-associated pneumonia and surgical site infection; and pandemic preparedness.

Discharge After Sedation or Anesthesia on the Day of the Procedure: Patient Transportation With or Without a Responsible Individual position statement and policy considerations: 

This document affirms AANA’s position that patients should have a responsible individual, as defined by facility policy, who is able to safely transport the patient home, or a facility needs to establish and implement policies and procedures in the event that an exception is made. This resource provides policy considerations for outpatient or same-day surgical settings regarding discharge planning specific to patient transportation. Alternative policy considerations for various situations are presented, as each facility will establish policies that best serve its patients.    

The following is an FEC required legal notification for CRNA-PAC. Gifts to political action committees are not tax deductible. Contributions to CRNA-PAC are for political purposes. All contributions to CRNA-PAC are voluntary. You may refuse to contribute without reprisal. The guidelines are merely suggestions. You are free to contribute more or less than the guidelines suggest and the association will not favor or disadvantage you by reason of the amount contributed or the decision not to contribute. Federal law requires CRNA-PAC to use its best efforts to collect and report the name, mailing address, occupation, and the name of the employer of individuals whose contributions exceed $200 in a calendar year. Each contributor must be a US Citizen.