President's Message

Dear GANA Members:

It is my distinct pleasure to serve you, the members of the Georgia Association of Nurse Anesthetists.

You have a 2008 Board of Directors (BODs) who is committed to representing you. We have a good cross section of practice parameters represented to include solo practice, CRNA only practice, office practice, medical center and community hospital practice, and academia.

There are new faces on the BODs who will be leading you in the future, and then we have three past presidents to keep us grounded and to remind us of our history …what has and what has not worked for us in the past. With the stabilizing force of our Executive Director, Christy Dunkleberger, your leadership is hard at work to ensure that the GANA will be here for future generations of CRNAs.

Instead of being one-deep on committees, we hard at work at forming a group of cohesive individuals to keep your best interests in mind. You can help us by volunteering to serve on a committee…no meetings to attend…just have a computer or a telephone. We will welcome your help.

But no matter how hard your BOD tries, we are only as strong as you are…the individual GANA membership. Look at the calendar of events; pick out at least one event, such as manning the phones for Georgia Public Television, and volunteer. Show up for the CRNA Proclamation signing at the Capitol, or better yet, come to Washington, DC with us in the spring. Attend a GANA Meeting in Cartersville, Fayetteville, Macon or Augusta.

Georgia CRNAs have been called ‘docile’, ‘uncommitted’ and ‘benign’…. but in order to maintain our right to practice, we will have to become ‘vibrant’, “committed’ and a ‘force to be reckoned with’. We must put our best foot forward and let the public know who we are and what we do. It is time to get out from behind those swinging OR doors and be seen and heard.

You can continue to go to work and collect your paycheck without ever giving a thought to what is happening in the anesthesia world that is outside of yourself. Continue on this road…and you will find that others have replaced you, that there are fewer and fewer places to practice, and that others dictate your scope of practice.

The healthcare dollar is shrinking, and it is shrinking fast. In this changing healthcare economy, it is essential that you open your eyes and see what is happening.... not only at your own work place, but also in your state and on the national level.

We are forging ahead with open arms. Come and join us as we strive to make healthcare better for all Georgians.