Tribute to Tree of Life First Responders

All of us have been affected by the mass shooting that occurred at Tree of Life – Or L'Simcha Congregation in the Squirrel Hill neighborhood of Pittsburgh on Oct. 27. Eleven people were killed, and seven were injured.

All of us have been moved by the resolve of the congregants and the outpouring of support not only by those living in Pittsburgh and throughout southwestern Pennsylvania, but also by residents across the state and nation. It is vital to healing.

For many certified registered nurse anesthetists, the incident has been deeply personal. A few of our association members knew some of the victims. We share their sadness. Other PANA members were part of the response team. We’re grateful for their service as health-care professionalism.

CRNA Arley Nahas attends Hill City Church in the Robinson area of Pittsburgh. The church recently bought breakfast for the UPMC-Presbyterian anesthesia and operating room staff who cared for the Tree of Life victims.

Here is Arley’s letter to the team:

Dear anesthesia and operating room staff,

On behalf of Hill City Church, we would like to thank you from the bottom of our hearts for your expertise and dedication in caring for the trauma victims from the Tree of Life synagogue shooting. This horrific event has left our city undone, but you have given these families hope again as you saved and restored their loved ones lives!

We want to take time to recognize and honor you for all of the excellent care that you provided on that day and every day! Please join us for breakfast on Thursday, November 8 starting at 08:30 in conference room B213.6 located between the anesthesia offices and resident call rooms.

Pastoral staff will be present to serve in any way needed.

Thank you so much for all that you do every single day! Your impact is incredible and we appreciate you!

On behalf of the Pennsylvania Association of Nurse Anesthetists, we thank all of our first responders and CRNAs who helped that day and every day, and we praise those who enter these noble fields of service. Our thoughts are with them, the families and friends of the victims --- and our entire caring community.

Butler Eagle: Nurse shows appreciation to Las Vegas trauma staff

This article was originally published on ButlerEagle.com.

In the aftermath of the tragedy in Las Vegas, a local nurse anesthetist decided she wanted to do something for the medical professionals in Las Vegas who treated those injured that night.

Kim Wysocki of Bradford Woods is a nurse anesthetist at UPMC Presbyterian and said that after she heard about all the support that was sent to Las Vegas in the weeks after the Oct. 1 shooting, she wanted to make sure the medical professionals also felt supported and appreciated.

“We were able to buy lunch for surgeons and anesthetists at University Medical Center and Sunrise Hospital,” she said. “It went really well.”

Wysocki and some of her co-workers began collecting donations and quickly realized they would easily reach their goals.

“After everything that happened, everyone was touched by the tragedy,” she said. “I was hoping for $1,000 and got around $2,500.” Her goal was to buy lunch for 150 medical personnel at each hospital.

“We probably had way too much,” she said. “But I guess too much is better than not enough.” Organizers of the fundraising drive said it was easy for the UPMC staff, who are experienced in treating trauma patients, to empathize with medical professionals in Las Vegas who did their best to treat a flood of patients, many with traumatic injuries.

“The loss of these lives touched us in a way that we as practitioners can relate to the clinicians in the Las Vegas hospitals,” said Helen DeFranco, CRNA, clinical director of the Department of Anesthesia at UPMC. “We have walked in their shoes, we have dealt with life and death and we understand the lasting effect from these clinical experiences. These times take a toll on all of us and impact tremendously.”

Treating patients with traumatic injuries is a difficult task, especially when those patients number in the hundreds, DeFranco said.

“Chaos is an understatement when only a couple trauma patients come in,” she said. “I got the idea we could buy them lunch and show them our appreciation and respect for what they do.” Wysocki coordinated with staff at both hospitals to plan for the purchase and delivery of the food.

“I have worked from coast to coast at large trauma centers. This particular act of good will by Kim is touching and rewarding,” DeFranco said. “It has strengthened us as a team at Presby.”

PANA Board Member Runs Boston Marathon

As part of our "Get to Know Your Board" series, Vice President of the PANA Board, Adrienne Ruzicka, CRNA, MSN tells all about running the Boston Marathon!

How long have you been running?

I started running distance my freshman year of high school. I joined the cross country team and did it primarily to stay in shape and because I did not participate in any of the other women's fall sports offered at my school. I was actually more of a competitive sprinter and did not like running distance at all; the high school cross country coach persuaded me to run on the cross country team. I am thankful that I did because running has become a huge part of my life and is a lot cheaper than therapy!

Was this your first marathon?

No, Boston was not my first marathon. The Boston Marathon is a marathon you have to qualify for at a USTAF certified marathon course. The time requirements vary depend on your sex and age group. I am in the 18-34 women's age group and the qualifying standard is 3:35:00 (8:12 min/mile pace). However, even if you meet your qualifying time does not guarantee race entry. Only the fastest applicants in each age group are accepted due to field size limitations. For 2016, runners had to beat their qualifying standard by approximately 3 minutes to gain acceptance. I qualified at the Steamtown Marathon in Scranton, Pennsylvania with a 3:27:23.

If not, how many have you run?

I have run a total of 5 marathons. The first marathon I ran was the Pittsburgh Marathon in 2010. I ran the Pittsburgh Marathon 3 times, the Steamtown Marathon, and Boston was my 5th marathon.

How well did you finish?

I finished Boston in a time of 3:35:23. My overall place out of female and male competitors was 9340/26639. In my gender 2419/12168.

What were you hoping for?

I truly did not have any goals going into the race and strongly considered not participating. I had my second Cesarean Section in November 2015 and was cleared to start running mid December. The first week I started running again I developed a left hamstring injury and was advised to stop running, go to PT, and cross train. I did that for about a month and was cleared to start running again and within 2 weeks my hamstring was bothering me again. Unfortunately, despite rest and strength/cross training efforts the hamstring issue persisted. I had returned to the Doctor I was seeing and after imaging and other tests I was told to continue to strength train and was cleared to run. So, like any crazy runner, I decided to do the marathon even on minimal training and with persistent discomfort/weakness in my leg.

So long story short, my main goal was to finish! The day of the race I was nervous about it because it was almost 80 degrees at the start of the race. I knew it was vital to hydrate every mile and to try to take it easy or I may not have finished (I have had bad racing experiences in the heat before).

What were the feelings in the day and night leading up to the race?

I was mainly excited and honored to be running with some of the most competitive runners from around the world. I tried to enjoy the entire experience in Boston and to do as much as I could before the race.

Can you give us a sentence that sums up you experience?

Running the Boston Marathon was one of the most memorable and humbling experiences I have had.

Was it all you expected?

It was more than I expected. The energy from the crowd and from the participants was amazing. I expected a lot of the runners to be ultra competitive and everyone I encountered was anything but that. The runners I encountered were encouraging and supportive. Also, most runners who participate in Boston do so to honor the bombing victims of 2013.

Are you running next year?

I wish I was! I missed the qualifying standard by 23 seconds. I hope to run it again in the future. The next marathon I am running is the Chicago Marathon in October! I hope by then my leg is stronger and feeling better.