Park Ridge, Ill. –  Mark Haffey, a Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetist (CRNA) and Sioux Falls, S.D. resident, has been named the 2017-18 vice president of the American Association of Nurse Anesthetists (AANA), headquartered in Park Ridge, Ill.  Haffey will serve a one year term. 

“Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetists play a pivotal role in access to healthcare for all Americans in today’s healthcare environment,” said Haffey.  “Efforts to advance the art and science of anesthesia requires a myriad of resources in order for CRNAs to remain a solution to healthcare demands, and I look forward to my role in ensuring safe, quality anesthesia care for all patients.”  

Haffey is a staff CRNA at Avera McKennan Hospital and University Health Center, in Sioux Falls, S.D. 

Prior to his current office, Haffey served as AANA Region 4 Director, the AANA Board Liaison to CRNA-PAC, a member of the AANA Public Relations Committee as well as other national and state nurse anesthesia committees.  In addition, he is the former president of the Tennessee Association of Nurse Anesthetists (TANA) 05-06, 13-14.

Nurse anesthetists are also the predominant provider of anesthesia services for the Military.  As anesthesia professionals, CRNAs provide surgical anesthesia as well as acute and chronic pain management services across the country. 

A CRNA for more than 15 years, he received his master’s degree in nursing from the University of North Carolina-Greensboro, and his certificate in nurse anesthesia from Wake Forest University Baptist Medical Center in Winston-Salem.  In addition, he earned his bachelor’s degree in nursing from the University of Kansas in Kansas City, and a bachelor’s degree in biology from MidAmerica Nazarene University in Olathe, Kansas.

 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 52,000 Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetists (CRNAs) and student registered nurse anesthetists across the United States. As advanced practice registered nurses and anesthesia specialists, CRNAs administer approximately 43 million anesthetics to patients in the United States each year and are the primary providers of anesthesia care in rural America. For more information, visit www.aana.com and www.future-of-anesthesia-care-today.com.