Newswise — PARK RIDGE, ILLINOIS – Over the last 75 years, the American Hospital Association (AHA), and the American Association of Nurse Anesthetists (AANA) have worked together to ensure access to safe, high-quality healthcare in communities everywhere. A ceremony and plaque presentation to commemorate the occasion was held Monday, Oct. 26, at the AANA headquarters.
“The advances in anesthesia and healthcare that patients enjoy today are a testimony to the diligent work of the AANA and AHA over the years,” said AANA Executive Director and CEO Wanda Wilson, CRNA, PhD, MSN. “Every day, Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetists (CRNAs) work with hospital executives around the country to ensure all patients have access to safe, high-quality care.”
The AANA, originally named the National Association of Nurse Anesthetists (NANA), was founded June 17, 1931. However, it was the invitation of Bert W. Caldwell, MD, then executive secretary of the AHA, to nurse anesthetist Gertrude Fife, secretary of NANA in 1931, to hold NANA’s first meeting simultaneously with the AHA sessions that signaled the importance of nurse anesthesia to America’s healthcare system. This mutually beneficial relationship led to the AANA’s first annual meeting, Sept. 13-15, 1933, in Milwaukee, Wis., and solidified the collaboration between the two associations.
“Just as Dr. Bert Caldwell recognized the valuable contributions of nurse anesthetists to both the advancement of surgery and healthcare overall, the AHA remains supportive of CRNAs for making patient safety and access to care their first priority decades later,” said Kim Byas, PhD, MPH, FACHEAHA Regional Executive.
About the American Association of Nurse Anesthetists Founded in 1931 and located in Park Ridge, Ill., and Washington, D.C., the American Association of Nurse Anesthetists (AANA) is the professional organization representing more than 48,000 Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetists (CRNAs) and student registered nurse anesthetists across the United States. As advanced practice registered nurses and anesthesia specialists, CRNAs administer more than 38 million anesthetics to patients in the United States each year and are the primary providers of anesthesia care in rural America. In some states, CRNAs are the sole anesthesia professionals in nearly 100 percent of rural hospitals. For more information, visit www.future-of-anesthesia-care-today.com.
About the American Hospital AssociationThe AHA is a not-for-profit association of healthcare provider organizations and individuals that are committed to the health improvement of their communities. The AHA is the national advocate for its members, which include nearly 5,000 hospitals, healthcare systems, networks, other providers of care, and 43,000 individual members. Founded in 1898, the AHA provides education for healthcare leaders and is a source of information on healthcare issues and trends. For more information, visit the AHA website at www.aha.org.
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