Othello Community Hospital celebrates national CRNA Week

OTHELLO — In recognition of their profession’s commitment to exceptional patient care, local Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetists (CRNAs) serving the rural communities of Royal City, Othello, Mattawa and beyond, have joined others from across the country in celebrating the eighteenth annual National CRNA Week, Jan. 22-28, 2017. Nurse anesthetists are advanced practice registered nurses who administer the majority of anesthetics in the United States, and nearly all the anesthetics in rural communities – approximately 43 million anesthetics in the United States each year.

Established by the American Association of Nurse Anesthetists (AANA), National CRNA Week was created to encourage CRNAs to take the opportunity to educate the public about anesthesia safety, questions to ask prior to undergoing surgery and the benefits of receiving anesthesia care from nurse anesthetists.

This year’s theme, “Making a Difference, One Patient at a Time,” reflects how CRNAs dedicate themselves to each of their patients before, during and after surgery. In addition, CRNAs provide obstetrical anesthetic care, including labor epidurals and anesthesia for cesareans and other emergency surgeries. Trauma stabilization, airway management and skilled intravenous establishment are among the additional essential services provided by CRNAs. Founded in 1931, the AANA is the professional organization representing more than 50,000 CRNAs and student registered nurse anesthetists across the United States.

CRNAs are integral members of the surgical team and provide anesthesia in collaboration with surgeons, obstetricians, dentists, podiatrists, and other qualified healthcare professionals. Dr. Melissa Hudson, a Washington State University and Gonzaga University alumna, joined the Othello Community Hospital staff in 2014 after several years of practice in Yakima, Wash. “One of the many rewards of being a nurse anesthetist is providing patients with the comfort of knowing that I will be by their side continuously monitoring their vital signs and adjusting their anesthetic accordingly in order to optimize their pain control and assure a safe anesthetic course.” Practicing in every setting where anesthesia is available, CRNAs are the sole anesthesia professionals in the vast majority of rural hospitals and have been the primary providers of anesthesia care to U.S. servicemen and women on the front lines since World War I.

Throughout the United States, CRNAs deliver essential healthcare in thousands of communities, thereby preventing gaps in access to anesthesia services. “Our patients and their safe journey through surgery is our top priority. We care for each individual at an incredibly vulnerable time in their life. It is truly an honor and privilege bestowed upon us to be able to provide safe, quality anesthesia care to each of our patients, one at a time, every single day.  It is a humbling responsibility we take very seriously and approach with the utmost vigilance,” said Dr. Hudson. According to the Institute of Medicine, anesthesia care is nearly 50 times safer than it was in the early 1980s.