R 053
2024 -- S 2138
Enacted 01/25/2024

S E N A T E   R E S O L U T I O N
PROCLAIMING JANUARY 21-27, 2024, TO BE "CERTIFIED REGISTERED NURSE ANESTHETISTS WEEK" IN THE STATE OF RHODE ISLAND

Introduced By: Senator Frank A. Ciccone

Date Introduced: January 23, 2024

     WHEREAS, January 21-27, 2024, has been designed as "National CRNA Week"; and
     WHEREAS, Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetists (CRNAs) are advanced practice
registered nurses, who have provided anesthesia care to patients in the United States for more
than 150 years, and are among the nation's most trusted professions; and
     WHEREAS, Legislation passed by Congress in 1986 made nurse anesthetists the first
nursing specialty to be accorded direct reimbursement rights by Medicare; and
     WHEREAS, CRNAs are primary anesthesia providers in rural communities and continue
to be the primary providers of anesthesia care to U.S. military personnel; and
     WHEREAS, CRNAs practice in every setting in which anesthesia is delivered, from
traditional hospital surgical suites and obstetrical delivery rooms to critical access hospitals; from
ambulatory surgical centers to the offices of dentists, podiatrists, ophthalmologists, pain
managements specialists and more; and
     WHEREAS, CRNAs are qualified to make independent judgments regarding all aspects
of anesthesia care based on their education, training, and licensure; and
     WHEREAS, CRNAs are trusted anesthesia experts on the frontlines, caring for patients
safely and compassionately, delivering specialized, cost-effective care to all patients from
newborns to seniors, and for every type of procedure in all types of facilities; and
     WHEREAS, CRNAs courageously served on the frontlines of the coronavirus pandemic,
and used their advanced skills in airway management, intubation and ventilator management to
care for the sickest patients, as well as left their homes and families to travel to hospitals and
facilities across the country, so they could assist where the need was greatest; now, therefore be it
     RESOLVED, That this Senate of the State of Rhode Island hereby proclaims January 21-
27, 2024, to be "Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetists Week" in Rhode Island and furthermore
recognizes the importance of the Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetists and their role in
providing high-quality care for the public; and be it further
     RESOLVED, That the Secretary of State be and hereby is authorized and directed to
transmit a duly certified copy of this resolution to the Rhode Island Association of Nurse
Anesthetists (RIANA).
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LC004398
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