October 28, 2024

Dear Colleagues,

As October comes to a close, AANA, our members, and our nation are in the midst of experiencing historic events: two catastrophic hurricanes in the southeastern states and the national elections just one week from tomorrow. 

• AANA is monitoring the impact of Hurricanes Helene and Milton on the southeastern states and on medical supply chain interruptions. (See the list of resources below.) We are working with Council on Accreditation of Nurse Anesthesia Educational Programs to find ways to help programs in affected areas. One way to help resident registered nurse anesthetists (RRNAs) directly is to contribute to the AANA Foundation’s Resident Educational Scholarship Program, which provides needs-based scholarships to support RRNAs experiencing financial hardship due to a crisis and/or natural disaster that could hinder, delay, or prevent the completion of their nurse anesthesiology education. Please visit the Foundation’s REES Program webpage to learn more. 

• As hard as it may be to believe, the national elections are just days away. You can check your voter registration, get your options for in-person and absentee voting, and see who’s up for re/election in your state and district here. 

Also coming up in this busy week is the State Presidents and State Presidents-elect Boot Camp. We are very much looking forward to meeting the state leaders this weekend in Rosemont, Illinois.  

As always, thank you for all that you do and for supporting your colleagues and your profession by being a part of the AANA. 

Sincerely, 

The AANA Board of Directors 

IN THIS ISSUE

• Hurricane Helene and Milton Resources and Ways to Get Involved in Relief Efforts 

• Oppose Legislation Harming Veterans' Access to Care 

• AANA Updates Policy Considerations for Enhanced Recovery After Surgery 

• AANA Celebrates Healthcare Quality Week With the Contributions of CRNAs to Patient Safety and Care 
  
  

• Help CRNA-PAC Reach Our $2 million Goal!

• ADCE 2025 Registration Now Open 

• Open Comment - The Role of the CRNA on the Procedure Team  

• AVA Publishes Standards of Care for Peripheral Intravenous Catheters 

Hurricane Helene and Milton Resources and Ways to Get Involved In Relief Efforts 

• AANA’s IV Fluid Shortage Mitigation Practice and Policy Considerations  

• ECRI has released guidance for healthcare organizations grappling with medical supply chain disruptions.  

• Baxter International is providing status updates on its website 

• The US Food and Drug Administration is providing Information and updates on impacted CDER-regulated drug and biologic products. 

• The National Council of State Boards of Nursing (NCSBN) is calling on nurses who wish to lend their expertise to disaster relief efforts.   

• Charity Navigator has compiled a list of reputable relief organizations.

ADVOCACY UPDATES

Oppose Legislation Harming Veterans' Access to Care 

Last year, Representatives David Scott (D-GA), Mike Turner (R-OH), Andrew Garbarino (R-NY), and Yvette Clarke (D-NY) and Senators Maria Cantwell (D-WA) and Bill Cassidy (R-LA) introduced a bill ironically named the Protect Lifesaving Anesthesia Care for Veterans Act of 2023 (H.R. 3347/S. 2070), which will harm access to critical healthcare services for our veterans.  

Tell your U.S. representative and senators that you oppose this harmful legislation today.  

• Click here  

• You will be directed to a prewritten email to your legislators. Please personalize the email so that it’s not seen as a form letter. Be sure to keep the tone professional.   

• Click “send email.”  

• Share the link with your friends and family so they can contact their legislators as well.  

AANA Updates Policy Considerations for Enhanced Recovery After Surgery 

The AANA recently updated and approved its policy considerations for Enhanced Recovery after Surgery (ERAS) pathway development and implementation. These policy considerations were revised through the AANA evidence-based process, involving a systematic keyword search, a review of relevant research, and revision of document content to reflect the most current evidence.  

Enhanced Recovery after Surgery (ERAS) refers to the patient-centered, evidence-based, interdisciplinary team-developed series of medical decisions for a surgical specialty to reduce the patient's surgical stress, optimize their health prior to and during surgery, and facilitate faster recovery. Read more. 

AANA Celebrates Healthcare Quality Week With The Contributions of CRNAs to Patient Safety and Care 

Every October, Healthcare Quality Week (HQW) is a dedicated time to acknowledge the progress made by healthcare and quality professionals toward improving patient healing and recovery. AANA applauds the work of healthcare workers, including CRNAs/ nurse anesthesiologists, who each day provide patients with access to the safe, high-quality care essential to positive healthcare outcomes. Read more. 

Help CRNA-PAC Reach Our $2 million Goal!

We’re thrilled to announce that due to the generous support from AANA members, we are just under $5,000 away from reaching the goal of $2 million raised this election cycle! Every dollar goes to helping CRNA champions get elected to Congress this election day. Help us continue fighting to protect your profession! Go here to view the list of federal candidates CRNA-PAC has financially supported in the 2023 - 2024 election cycle.

SIGNIFICANT NEWS

ADCE 2025 Registration Now Open

The Assembly of Didactic and Clinical Educators (ADCE) 2025 will bring nurse anesthesiology educators together in sunny Arizona to learn, collaborate, and build meaningful relationships with experts and colleagues from around the country. ADCE 2025 will feature small-group, in-depth sessions built around topics at the forefront of nurse anesthesiology education. When: February 12–15, 2025. Where: Westin La Paloma Resort and Spa - Tucson, AZ. Learn more and reserve your spot—Early Bird pricing ends December 11. 

Open Comment - The Role of the CRNA on the Procedure Team

The AANA Practice Committee has updated the position statement titled The Role of the CRNA on the Procedure Team. Review the draft document and send your feedback to practice@aana.com by November 4, 2024. 

AVA Publishes Standards of Care for Peripheral Intravenous Catheters

AANA is one of 14 healthcare organizations to endorse the “Standards of Care for Peripheral Intravenous Catheters: Evidence-Based Expert Consensus,” recently published by the Association for Vascular Access in the Journal of the Association for Vascular Access (JAVA). “Standards of Care for Peripheral Intravenous Catheters: Evidence-Based Expert Consensus” details a comprehensive, evidence-based expert consensus on the standards of care for peripheral intravenous catheters. This groundbreaking document aims to form a unified consensus on PIVC insertion, maintenance, and removal to eliminate implicit bias and provide safe, effective vascular access for all patients. Read more. 

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.