Newswise — Washington, DC – Randall Moore, DNP, MBA, CRNA, chief executive officer of the nearly 53,000-member American Association of Nurse Anesthetists (AANA), attended the signing of the SUPPORT for Patients and Communities Act at the White House today.

“I am honored to represent the AANA and Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetists at this important bill signing. This legislation is a critical effort to help address the nation’s opioid crisis,” said Moore. “This bill addresses the need to expand access to medication-assisted treatments (MAT) and to find ways to curb the use of opioids.”

The AANA worked with members of both parties and in both chambers of Congress to help ensure that provisions allowing CRNAs and other advanced practice registered nurses the ability to prescribe MATs were a part of the final bill, an effort to increase the availability of these lifesaving treatments, especially in rural and underserved communities. The AANA also supported a number of important components of the final bill that would encourage the reduced use of opioids in emergency rooms and in pain management throughout the healthcare system.

CRNAs are uniquely qualified and positioned to help mitigate the opioid crisis. With training in non-opioid and opioid-sparing pain management techniques in acute and chronic care settings, as well as Enhanced Recovery After Surgery (ERAS) protocols to reduce opioid use during surgery, CRNAs have an important role to play in dealing with the continued opioid crisis.

The AANA commends the bipartisan efforts of Congress and the administration for signing this bill into law. We look forward to continuing to work with Congress and other stakeholders to address the ongoing opioid crisis and support the critical role CRNAs play in treatment.

See how CRNAs are uniquely qualified to help solve the opioid crisis. (PDF)

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 nearly 53,000 Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetists (CRNAs) and student registered nurse anesthetists across the United States. As advanced practice registered nurses, CRNAs are anesthesia experts who administer more than 45 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.aana.com and www.aana.com/MAT