From the Desk of
BRIAN D. THORSON, CRNA, MA
AANA President, 2005-06


As the President of our American Association of Nurse Anesthetists in our organization’s 75th Anniversary year, I hope your New Year has begun well!

We CRNAs take great pride in our professionalism, in what we do for our patients. As I stated last August upon being installed as your President, part of being a nurse anesthesia professional is by contributing to our profession’s future, in the interests of the patients for whom we provide care.

One way we help ensure our profession’s future is by having a strong voice in Washington DC. Each day, Congress and federal agencies make so many critical decisions affecting healthcare and patients in general, and nurse anesthesia in particular. Unless we CRNAs have a strong voice in Washington, from whom would Congress hear on issues important to us and our patients?

CRNAs have kept a strong voice in Washington in part by supporting a robust CRNA-PAC. I want you to be aware that the CRNA-PAC’s 2006 annual development campaign is now under way, concluding with the Potomac Boat Cruise at AANA Midyear Assembly April 23 in Washington. I am writing today to encourage you to keep an eye on your email box and Internet connection and your U.S. Mail, for more information about our CRNA-PAC, and to ask for your support.

Funded entirely by CRNAs’ voluntary contributions, and governed by a committee of leading CRNAs chaired by Larry Hornsby CRNA BSN, our CRNA-PAC supports CRNA-friendly candidates for the House and Senate, and helps our profession build relationships with federal legislators most influential on healthcare issues.

Keeping a strong CRNA-PAC has helped AANA and CRNAs become among the strongest voices in healthcare policy in Washington. In 2005, our CRNA-PAC had a record fundraising year. In the inaugural year for our new CRNA-PAC 2005 Leadership Club recognition programs – the Presidential Club for donors over $1,000, and Congressional Club for donors $200 – 999 -- nearly 60 CRNAs earned Presidential Club status, and 1,182 CRNAs were named Congressional Club members.

And in the policy arena in 2005, having a strong voice in Washington has been crucial to the nurse anesthesia profession. We protected CRNA federal educational funding from cuts, helped enact patient safety legislation mentioning CRNAs specifically, fought off anti-CRNA “poison pill” provisions from being included in regulations and major legislation, and landed a place at the policymaking table in Congress and agencies working on the developing “pay for performance” issue affecting reimbursement for our services. All of these issues touch our lives in CRNA practice settings every day.

But 2006 is a new year. The New Year brings new challenges. Congress and this Administration are going to be working on healthcare. AANA is going to be working on issues affecting CRNAs’ reimbursement, practice and educational funding. This is a federal election year, with a third of the Senate and all of the U.S. House of Representatives facing the voters this November.

There is no question that others will make their voices heard in Washington in 2006, including many special interests who do not share the objectives of our profession. The strength of CRNAs’ voice in Washington today depends on you, on all of us CRNAs across this great land providing anesthesia safely every day, and on our contributions to the CRNA-PAC. Our CRNA-PAC is the only PAC solely devoted to promoting the patient safety objectives of the profession of nurse anesthesia – not for one party or the other’s partisan interests, but for CRNAs and the patients for whom we provide care.

I hope you’ll join me with your strong support of the CRNA-PAC. Whether your support is at the Presidential or Congressional Club level, or at whatever level you can manage, in the U.S. Mail via one of the appeals on its way, or online at the CRNA-PAC Donation Page, there is no mistaking the tremendous power of many CRNAs speaking with one voice in Washington.

For all you do for your patients and our great profession, thank you.

Sincerely,

Brian D. Thorson, CRNA, MA
President, American Association of Nurse Anesthetists