American Hospital Association and the AANA Partnership Marks 75th Year
Posted almost 10 years ago by Nicholas M Perrino
"Over the last 75 years, the American Hospital Association (AHA), and the American Association of Nurse Anesthetists (AANA) have worked together to ensure access to safe, high-quality healthcare in communities everywhere. A ceremony and plaque presentation to commemorate the occasion was held Monday, Oct. 26, at the AANA headquarters.
'The advances in anesthesia and healthcare that patients enjoy today are a testimony to the diligent work of the AANA and AHA over the years,' said AANA Executive Director and CEO Wanda Wilson, CRNA, PhD, MSN. 'Every day, Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetists (CRNAs) work with hospital executives around the country to ensure all patients have access to safe, high-quality care.'
The AANA, originally named the National Association of Nurse Anesthetists (NANA), was founded June 17, 1931. However, it was the invitation of Bert W. Caldwell, MD, then executive secretary of the AHA, to nurse anesthetist Gertrude Fife, secretary of NANA in 1931, to hold NANA's first meeting simultaneously with the AHA sessions that signaled the importance of nurse anesthesia to America's healthcare system. This mutually beneficial relationship led to the AANA's first annual meeting, Sept. 13-15, 1933, in Milwaukee, Wis., and solidified the collaboration between the two associations.
'Just as Dr. Bert Caldwell recognized the valuable contributions of nurse anesthetists to both the advancement of surgery and healthcare overall, the AHA remains supportive of CRNAs for making patient safety and access to care their first priority decades later,' said Kim Byas, PhD, MPH, FACHE, AHA Regional Executive.