PA State Rep, Erie City Mayor participate in CRNA Week

Harkins, Schember observe SRNAs in action

Celebrating CRNA Week is an annual tradition enjoyed by the faculty, students and staff of the UPMC Hamot Anesthesia Department and the School of Anesthesia. But this year, during the weeklong celebration held January 20 to 24, new School of Anesthesia director Dr. Rachel Wolfe added an element of excitement by inviting VIPs to observe during a special day of this event.

Pennsylvania State Representative Patrick Harkins and City of Erie Mayor Joseph Schember joined the faculty and students of the UPMC Hamot School of Anesthesia during a simulation lab to not only observe but to try some of the hands-on activities themselves. Under the guidance of Dr. Wolfe, Mayor Schember and Rep. Harkins participated in activities such as IV placement, arterial line placement, and fiberoptic intubations, while various students from the Classes of 2024, 2025 and 2026 provided both instruction and humor.

Students involved in the simulation lab included Class of 2025’s Pamela Brown, Mark Erickson, and Naudya Yanno; Class of 2026’s Lacey Rovnak, Calvin Gilbert, and Vanessa Stenulis; and Class of 2027’s Joshua Miller and Brian Doyle.

By inviting Mr. Harkins and Mr. Schember, Dr. Wolfe was making an effort to educate the community and the public on the work and function of CRNAs. Hand in hand with that goal, she's putting the name of the UPMC Hamot School of Anesthesia in the public eye to bring additional visibility and focus to the school.

Rep. Harkins poses with SRNAs and the school director after successfully learning CRNAs roles and responsibilities through a Simulation Lab at the UPMC Hamot School of Anesthesia during CRNA Week, January 20-24.

Pictured Above From left to right, Pamela Brown, Class of 2025; Brian Doyle, Class of 2027; Calvin Gilbert, Class of 2026; Lacey Rovnak, Class of 2026; Joshua Miller, Class of 2027; Rep. Harkins; Vanessa Stenulis, Class of 2026, Director Wolfe; and Naudya Yanno, Class of 2025.

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Pictured Above: PA State Representative Pat Harkins, successfully performs a fiberoptic intubation while Mark Erickson, Class of 2025, guides and instructs him during a Simulation Lab demonstration during CRNA Week 2025.

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The mayor and state representative were invited to participate in an effort to educate members of the public on the work of CRNAs in the community.

Pictured Above: Mayor Joe Schember, starts an IV under the tutelage of SRNA Naudya Yanno, Class of 2025, during a Simulation Lab demonstration during CRNA Week 2025. Two members of the newest class, the Class of 2027, observe in the background — Brian Doyle and Joshua Miller.

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Pictured Below: The SRNAs who spent their the time demonstrating and assisting in many hands-on activities included (from left to right) Pamela Brown, Class of 2025; Lacey Rovnak, Class of 2026; Mark Erickson, Class of 2025; Vanessa Stenulis, Class of 2026; and Naudya Yanno, Class of 2025.

(Above) Following a successful day of demonstrating what CRNAs’ roles are in the hospital environment during CRNA Week 2025, Joe Schember, Mayor of Erie, (center), poses with Rachel Wolfe, (far right), the director of the School of Anesthesia.

PANA Members Pack the Halls of Capitol in D.C.

The AANA Mid-Year Assembly is nurse anesthetists’ largest advocacy event of the year, and this year the Pennsylvania Association of Nurse Anesthetists (PANA) sent a small army to the nation’s capital to inform federal lawmakers and advocate for our shared profession.

📝PANA had 76 registrants for the annual event in Washington, D.C. Over the course of the assembly, which ran April 29 to May 3, Pennsylvania-based certified registered nurse anesthetists (CRNAs) and students (SRNAs), advocating in groups, convened 19 in-person meetings with lawmakers or their key staff members.

🏛️Where we couldn’t meet with lawmakers or staff, our team dropped off packets of information and promised to follow up to secure in-district meetings, something any of us can do whenever our schedules allow. Advocacy is key to promoting our issues and strengthening our profession.

The Mid-Year Assembly happened a bit later than usual this year, bumping up against PANA’s own Spring Symposium in Hershey, so the time crunch was a real challenge for many of our CRNAs and SRNAs, but the number of attendees proves our devotion to the cause.

PANA Members Pack the Halls of Capitol in D.C.

What’s more, for some of our SRNAs, the Mid-Year Assembly came during finals week, too. In fact, a few students from the University of Scranton School of Nurse Anesthesia went above and beyond --- not only in their advocacy but in their assigned schoolwork. They took finals remotely, either in the middle of the day or at the start of a long day running between office buildings to attend meetings. That commitment is impressive.

The Mid-Year Assembly offers five days of educational sessions, live speakers, legislative lobbying, and networking, all of which is important for attendees to gain the knowledge and tools to drive change in our profession, enhance their careers, and promote CRNAs at both the national and state levels.

🩺Thank you to everyone who participated. As tiring as Mid-Year Assembly can be, it is equally impressive, and the talent we see among our CRNAs and SRNAs gives us confidence in the good work we are doing to affect change that enhances our profession, improves health-care delivery models and ensures patients have affordable access to the highest level of care.

PANA Advocates with Senator Bob Casey

But wait...there's more 📷!

THANK YOU, CRNAs AND SRNAs FOR ATTENDING THE 2023 AANA MYA !!!

INTERESTED IN JOINING US? CLICK HERE FOR MORE INFORMATION

PANA Installs CRNA Jessica Poole as First-Ever Director to Newly Formed Government Relations Post

Pennsylvania Association of Nurse Anesthetists

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

CONTACT: Kurt Knaus; P: 717-724-2866; E: kurt@ceislermedia.com

PANA Installs Westmoreland Co. CRNA as First-Ever Director

to Newly Formed Government Relations Post

Position will give association constant presence among stakeholders

dealing with issues related to anesthesia care, health costs in Pa.

HARRISBURG (Jan. 31, 2020) --- The Pennsylvania Association of Nurse Anesthetists (PANA), which represents more than 3,700 certified registered nurse anesthetists (CRNAs) and students across the state, has named Jessica Poole to serve as the association’s first-ever director in a newly formed post focused on government relations in Pennsylvania.

Poole, DNAP, MHS, CRNA, will begin her role as Government Relations Director on Feb. 1. She currently serves as PANA Vice President and heads PANA’s State Governance Relations Committee. She will resign her Vice President post to take on this new contracted position, which incorporates state governance and focuses on engaging lawmakers and association members on issues important to CRNAs.

“This is a tremendous honor,” said Poole, of Unity Township, Westmoreland County. “Our association leadership should be commended for taking this new direction. Creating this position shows just how serious PANA is about enhancing the practice of anesthesia in Pennsylvania, and how committed we are to providing safe, cost-effective care for every Pennsylvanian.”

Unlike other PANA leadership positions and committee chairmanships, the Government Relations Director is a contracted post designed to be long term to provide a more stable, consistent point of contact for CRNAs, policy-makers, health-care professionals and other stakeholders.

“Jess has already proven her credentials over nearly two years while running PANA’s State Governance Relations Committee,” PANA President Angelarosa G. DiDonato, DNP, CRNA, said. “She’ll be able to hit the ground running. And that’s exactly what we need her to do so we can quickly advance the policies that are so important to CRNAs and the people we serve every day.”

Among her duties, Poole will be a primary point of contact for lawmakers and other health-care trade associations and organizations, helping to inform stakeholders about issues related to CRNA practice in Pennsylvania. She also will serve as a liaison to the board, keeping them apprised of priority and emerging policy issues.

Her work won’t center simply on the Capitol complexes in Harrisburg or Washington. Poole will travel the state to attend planned meetings, events and forums with association members, lawmakers and other partners. The effort will help residents learn more about CRNAs and the work they do to keep patients safe and reduce the cost of health care.

Besides her work with PANA, Poole also has held committee posts with the American Association of Nurse Anesthetists. She currently works with BPW Medical Associates PC, a private practice serving southwestern Pennsylvania.

CRNAs are the hands-on providers of anesthesia care, operating safely in every setting where anesthesia is administered, including hospital operating and delivery rooms; ambulatory surgical centers; the offices of dentists, podiatrists, ophthalmologists, and plastic surgeons; pain management centers and more.

CRNAs are the main providers of anesthesia care in rural communities and medically underserved areas, delivering essential health care and preventing gaps in services. CRNAs also are battle-tested, serving on the front lines since World War I as the main providers of anesthesia care to U.S. military personnel in austere combat theaters.

Despite these advancements, Pennsylvania remains one of only two states (New York is the other) that fails to recognize CRNA designation in some form. There is no formal definition for “certified registered nurse anesthetist” under the state’s Professional Nursing Law, meaning they are recognized only as registered nurses (RNs), not CRNAs. Professional designation legislation (S.B. 325) passed the Senate last session but has not yet been taken up by the House.

For more information about PANA, visit www.PANA.org. For details about key policy issues, visit www.PANAforQualityCare.com or follow along on social media via Twitter at @PANACRNA or on Facebook at www.facebook.com/PANACRNA.

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