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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PANA Member Part of National Team Updating Anesthesia Practice Standards

PANA represents more than 3,700 certified registered nurse anesthetists and students in Pennsylvania, making it one of the largest state associations for CRNAs in the country. Many of PANA’s board members also play a role at the national level with the American Association of Nurse Anesthetists, meaning members here have enhanced representation.

The latest example is Jessica Poole, DNAP, MSN, CRNA. Jessica heads PANA’s Governance Committee, which is the association’s top post for engaging members and lawmakers on issues important to CRNAs, and for helping to coordinate efforts with other health-care partners.

Besides her work with PANA, Jessica also holds committee posts with AANA, where she is chair of the AANA Practice Committee, which comprises eight nurse anesthetists who work to ensure practice standards support the delivery of patient-centered, consistent, high-quality, and safe anesthesia care.

Jessica and her committee recently worked to release an updated version of the “Standards for Nurse Anesthesia Practice.” Revising the practice standards is a multi-year endeavor involving extensive reviews and several comment periods for stakeholder feedback. The comprehensive document sets standards that apply in all settings.

It’s an incredible undertaking --- and one more way both PANA and AANA are working to serve CRNAs in Pennsylvania and across the country.

Learn more about Jessica’s leadership and the updated standards by reading the full release below.

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Anesthesia Practice Standards Updated, Published by American Association of Nurse Anesthetists March 20, 2019

Park Ridge, Illinois—To ensure that patients continue receiving the highest quality anesthesia care possible, the American Association of Nurse Anesthetists (AANA) has published a comprehensive update to its Standards for Nurse Anesthesia Practice, the foundation of Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetist (CRNA) care delivery. The standards can be accessed at https://www.aana.com/standards.

As anesthesia experts with a 150+ year history, CRNAs are the hands-on providers of more than 45 million anesthetics each year in the United States, according to the AANA’s website (www.aana.com/crnafacts). The association represents approximately 53,000 CRNAs and student registered nurse anesthetists.

“The AANA’s practice standards support the delivery of patient-centered, consistent, high-quality, and safe anesthesia care and assist the public in understanding the CRNA’s role in patient care,” said Jessica Poole, DNAP, CRNA, chair of the AANA Practice Committee which is comprised of eight nurse anesthetists and supported by AANA staff. “The association routinely reviews and updates our profession’s practice standards, guidelines, and other critical documents based on the latest research to support CRNAs practicing at the peak of their knowledge and skills.”

This adherence to keeping current is one reason for CRNAs’ stellar safety record, according to AANA President Garry Brydges, DNP, MBA, CRNA. “No fewer than 10 major anesthesia safety studies published since 2000 have confirmed that CRNAs are the safest, most cost-effective anesthesia professionals in the United States,” he said.

With 7-8½ years of education and more than 9,000 hours of clinical training resulting in a graduate degree in their specialty, CRNAs are qualified to deliver anesthesia care for surgical, obstetrical, and emergency procedures, as well as provide chronic pain management services. They are the predominant anesthesia providers in rural and medically underserved areas of the country, to new moms in labor, and to U.S. military personnel around the world, especially on the front lines.

Poole said that “revising the practice standards was a multi-year endeavor involving an extensive literature review, multiple focus sessions, legal review, and a public comment period to obtain feedback from stakeholders across all practice settings.” The final document delineates each standard and includes links to more detailed resource documents containing the latest research to support the implementation of the standard.

“The standards apply in all practice settings, including operating rooms, nonoperating room anesthetizing areas, ambulatory surgical centers, and office-based practices,” Poole said. “As anesthesia care delivery continues to evolve at a rapid pace, the AANA and its members will continue to evolve right along with it. Our patients and employers expect nothing less.”

The essential elements of the standards include:

• Patients’ rights, which are prioritized as Standard 1 in the revised document;

• Preanesthesia patient assessment and evaluation;

• The anesthesia care plan;

• Informed consent;

• Documentation;

• Equipment;

• Anesthesia plan implementation and management;

• Monitoring and alarms;

• Infection control and prevention; and

• Transfer of care.

The revision also includes the addition of new standards on wellness and culture of safety.

“Patients can rest assured that when they receive their anesthesia from a Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetist they are in the care of a well-prepared, highly qualified provider whose sole focus is on their comfort and safety,” said Poole.

During CRNA Week in Pa., Legislative Resolutions Recognize Those Who Are There When Seconds Count

Certified registered nurse anesthetists (CRNAs) used to be the best kept secret in health care. But all of that is changing. Two separate resolutions adopted unanimously by the state House and Senate on Jan. 16 recognize CRNAs for the quality, affordable care we provide and offer a new glimpse of the men and women behind the surgical masks.

The resolutions were sponsored by state Sen. John R. Gordner (R-Columbia) and Rep. Stephen Barrar (R-Chester/Delaware) --- two longtime champions of CRNAs in Pennsylvania. Their resolutions (S.R. 6 and H.R. 30, respectively) recognize Jan. 20-26 as “Nurse Anesthetists Week” in Pennsylvania, coinciding with National CRNA Week.

This is an incredible tribute to every CRNA who plays a role in protecting patients’ health and controlling rising health-care costs. The fact is that when seconds count, it’s you --- the certified registered nurse anesthetist --- who’s there by the patient’s side for every heartbeat, every breath, every step of the way.

It used to be that patients weren’t aware of us, or that they didn’t remember it was a CRNA who cared for them throughout their procedure. Not anymore. More and more people understand that CRNAs are hands-on providers of anesthesia care for millions of patients every year. We are usually the last person they see before being anesthetized for their procedure, and the first person they see when they awake.

That’s a testament to our commitment to care for the patient throughout the entire surgical procedure.

The fact is that health care would be much different without CRNAs. We operate 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.

That’s why so many more patients are getting to know us.

And our role is so much more expansive. CRNAs are the main providers of anesthesia care in rural communities. 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.

That’s why so many more patients and providers appreciate us.

On behalf of the Pennsylvania Association of Nurse Anesthetists, thank you, CRNAs, for all you do. It may be designated “CRNA Week in Pennsylvania,” but we know your passion and dedication drive you --- day in, day out, all year long.

To read our news release about “CRNA Week in Pennsylvania,” click HERE.