AANA Presents Excellence in State Government Relations Advocacy Award to Georgia

ROSEMONT, Ill.   (AANA) — The American Association of Nurse Anesthesiology (AANA) honored the Georgia Association of Nurse Anesthetists (GANA) with the Excellence in State Government Relations Advocacy Award at its Mid-Year Assembly, held in Washington, D.C., April 20 – 24.

The Excellence in State Government Relations Advocacy Award, established in 2016, is presented annually to a state association based on the quality of its efforts in the state legislative or regulatory arena for the profession of nurse anesthesiology. The recipient is chosen by AANA’s Government Relations Committee.

As part of their legislative efforts, GANA has created a greater presence at the Georgia State Capitol, building relationships with legislators and stakeholders and engaging them about the work of GANA and Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetists (CRNAs), also known as nurse anesthetists, and their impact on healthcare in the state. GANA also increased participation from GANA members, resulting in greater member involvement on committees and at state lobby days, and increased GANA PAC funding.

In connection with legislative efforts to pursue full practice authority, GANA determined a need for more outreach to its membership and made great improvements in its ability to communicate with members quickly and frequently, including the creation of a new website. In addition, digital and hard copy mailers were created and distributed to the GANA membership to help inform them on lobbying efforts and encourage them to contribute to the GANA PAC.

“GANA is laying this groundwork as part of a multi-year plan for legislation that will remove barriers to CRNA practice in Georgia and increase access to safe, high-quality anesthesia care for Georgia patients,“ said GANA President Shannon Broxton, DNP, CRNA.

“Many CRNAs in Georgia have contributed to our efforts. This award is a tribute to their support of the CRNA profession and the high-quality care that CRNAs provide to Georgia patients every day,” said Broxton. “We are honored to be recognized by AANA for our achievements.”

As advanced practice registered nurses, CRNAs are members of one of the most trusted professions according to Gallup. CRNAs provide anesthesia care across all settings and in all patient populations and are the primary anesthesia providers in rural and underserved areas and on the battlefield in forward surgical teams.