THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF PENNSYLVANIA

SENATE RESOLUTION

INTRODUCED BY M. WHITE, VANCE, ERICKSON, PIPPY, BROWNE, WASHINGTON, YAW, WARD, COSTA, KASUNIC, STACK, DINNIMAN, FONTANA, FERLO, BREWSTER, ROBBINS, BAKER, GREENLEAF, SOLOBAY, ORIE, RAFFERTY, PILEGGI AND ALLOWAY, JANUARY 23, 2012

INTRODUCED AND ADOPTED, JANUARY 23, 2012  

A RESOLUTION

Recognizing the week of January 22 through 28, 2012, as "Nurse

Anesthetists Week" in Pennsylvania.

WHEREAS, Nurse anesthetists were the first professional group

to provide anesthesia in the United States and are the oldest

recognized group of advanced practice registered nurse

specialists; and

WHEREAS, These registered nurses have completed a graduate-

level educational program in a nationally accredited program of

nurse anesthesia, and after graduation are qualified to take the

national certifying examination; and

WHEREAS, Graduates who successfully pass the examination can

use the title, Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetist (CRNA),

and, in addition, all graduates of nurse anesthesia educational

programs receive a master's degree upon completion of the

rigorous academic and clinical curriculum; and

WHEREAS, According to the American Association of Nurse

Anesthetists, CRNAs provide anesthesia services in all settings

in which anesthesia is delivered; and

WHEREAS, According to the American Association of Nurse

Anesthetists, more than two-thirds of all rural hospitals rely

on CRNAs to provide anesthesia care, and without these advanced

practice nurses, some 1,500 facilities would be unable to

maintain trauma stabilization and surgical and obstetrical

capabilities, forcing many rural Americans to travel long

distances for such services; and

WHEREAS, Each year, CRNAs working in hospitals, ambulatory

surgical centers, physician's offices and the medical facilities

of the United States military, Veterans Health Administration

and Public Health Service are the hands-on providers of

approximately 32 million anesthetics given to patients in the

United States; and

WHEREAS, The week of January 22 through 28, 2012, has been

designated as Nurse Anesthetists Week; therefore be it

RESOLVED, That the Senate recognize the week of January 22

through 28, 2012, as "Nurse Anesthetists Week" in Pennsylvania 

to recognize the importance of certified registered nurse

anesthetists and their role in providing quality health care for

the public.