[Congressional Record Volume 150, Number 7 (Wednesday, January 28, 2004)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E70]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                    NATIONAL NURSE ANESTHETISTS WEEK

                                 ______
                                 

                            HON. MAC COLLINS

                               of georgia

                    in the house of representatives

                      Wednesday, January 28, 2004

  Mr. COLLINS. Mr. Speaker, during this week, the fifth annual National 
Nurse Anesthetists Week, I recognize the work of nurse anesthetists and 
the important role they play in the delivery of safe and effective 
health care. This year, millions of Americans will undergo surgery or 
deliver a baby, and most of them will receive their anesthesia care 
directly from a Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetist (CRNA). During 
this week devoted to recognizing the work of CRNAs, CRNAs are 
celebrating their long history of providing safe anesthesia care.
  I would like to thank the more than 30,000 members of the American 
Association of Nurse Anesthetists (AANA), AANA's president, Tom 
McKibban, AANA's Executive Director, Jeffery Beutler, and the staff of 
the AANA for their effort in promoting measures to ensure that 
Americans across our nation have access to quality health care services 
at the times they need it most. More than their promotion of 
commonsense legislation, though, I want to thank the AANA and its 
members for the work they do everyday in providing excellent care for 
their patients in what are often challenging and trying times for these 
Americans and their loved ones. In addition, CRNAs practice in every 
setting and are the sole anesthesia provider in more than two-thirds of 
all rural hospitals, ensuring that most Americans can have access to 
care within their own community.
  In addition to being a main provider within America's borders, CRNAs 
are also the main provider of anesthesia care to American service men 
and women stationed around the world. Overseas, CRNAs have been on the 
front lines supporting U.S. troops since World War I, and presently 
more than 165 nurse anesthetists are on duty in Iraq, comprising nearly 
80 percent of the anesthesia providers serving in the conflict. For 
their service to their country and our men and women in uniform, our 
nation and this Congress will always be grateful.
  In my own state of Georgia, there are currently 793 AANA members who 
provide care for the people of Georgia. I would also like to thank 
these CRNAs, Martha Kral, the President of the Georgia Association of 
Nurse Anesthetists (GANA), and Janice Izlar, GANA's Federal Political 
Director, for the quality health care services they provide to the 
people of Georgia.
  It is my honor to recognize National Nurse Anesthetists Week and the 
work of CRNAs across the country. In the year ahead, I look forward to 
continuing to work with the AANA, that GANA, and CRNAs from across 
Georgia and across the nation to promote patient safety and to educate 
patients and their families about their anesthesia options and nurse 
anesthesia providers.

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