ROSEMONT, Ill., April 27, 2023 - The American Association of Nurse Anesthesiology (AANA) will recognize U.S. Representative Lauren Underwood (D-IL) 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. Underwood serves Illinois' 14th Congressional District and was sworn into the 116th U.S. Congress on January 3, 2019. She is the youngest African American woman to serve in the United States House of Representatives.
As a Registered Nurse, Rep. Underwood has been a leader on nursing issues in Congress. During her tenure on the Veterans Affairs Committee, she has consistently held VA officials accountable for not implementing full practice authority for CRNAs. She led bipartisan efforts on the issue and has been a leader in providing oversight on VA's development of National Practice Standards. Rep. Underwood led the successful passage of the VA RAISE Act to increase pay for nurses working within the VA.
Rep. Underwood also has supported efforts to remove unnecessary supervision efforts for CRNAs under Medicare and is a co-sponsor of the Improving Care and Access to Nurses (ICAN) Act. She supported the Mainstreaming Addiction Treatment (MAT) Act that recently passed and was signed into law, and the Dr. Lorna Breen Health Care Act, as well as other workplace safety bills to protect nurses.
Rep. Underwood has been a leader on maternal care and nursing education, having introduced the Black Maternal Health Momnibus to improve health outcomes for mothers, and the Future Advancement of Academic Nursing (FAAN) Act to increase funding for nursing programs and educators.
"Representative Underwood has been a champion of CRNAs at the federal level, working for our ability to practice at the full scope of our education and licensure, including her efforts at the VA." said AANA President Angela Mund, DNP, CRNA. "We are pleased to recognize Rep. Underwood's service and to honor and thank her for her support."
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.
SOURCE American Association of Nurse Anesthesiology
