Newswise — ROSEMONT, Ill. -- The American Association of Nurse Anesthesiology (AANA) will recognize U.S. Representative Brett Guthrie (R-KY) as the winner of its National Health Leadership Award for 2023 at its Mid-Year Assembly, to be held in Washington, D.C., April 29-May 3.
The National Health Leadership Award was established in 1992 and is presented to an individual working at the federal government level who has made a significant contribution to the formation of national health policy. The award recognizes the individual’s support in this process for the vital role that Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetists (CRNAs) play in providing access to cost-effective, quality anesthesia services.
Rep. Guthrie has represented Kentucky’s second congressional district since 2009. In the 117th Congress, he served as the top Republican of Energy and Commerce’s Oversight and Investigations Subcommittee. In this subcommittee, he worked on addressing the resurgence of measles in the country, conducted oversight of the federal response to COVID-19, and investigated the rising costs of insulin.
In the 118th Congress, he serves as the Chairman of the House Energy & Commerce Health Subcommittee. In this position, Rep. Guthrie will be one of the main decision-makers in Congress on issues such as determining which temporary waivers issued during the Public Health Emergency should be made permanent. Rep. Guthrie stated that in his new role, he plans to advance policies that increase competition in and protect access to healthcare.
Guthrie is also co-leader of the House Republicans’ Healthy Future Task Force, which led him to develop solutions to modernize healthcare and give Americans more options. He is a member of the House Nursing Caucus and has introduced the “Building America’s Healthcare Workforce Act” to address nursing shortages.
“Through his tenure, Congressman Guthrie has been and continues to be a champion for access to healthcare,” said AANA President Angela Mund, DNP, CRNA. “He has taken a leadership role on these critical healthcare issues, and we thank him for his years of selfless service.”
As advanced practice 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. Because of their expertise in anesthesia care and management of critically ill patients, CRNAs have been a highly sought-after healthcare provider during the COVID-19 pandemic.
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