A message from our President…
| July has made its entrance and, in arriving, has brought us a summer of opportunity and hope. This is the time when children are off to the adventures of camp or fun activities and we adults get to enjoy the gifts of longer daylight and warmer days. I hope we can all take some serious inspiration from Emerson and live these precious days passionately. We have so many things to be grateful for and should all take some time — with family, friends or in solitude — for rest and relaxation. We can only give to our patients, who deserve our very best selves, if we remember to care for our own minds, bodies and spirits. The work of the NYSSA on behalf of our members continues no matter the season. I am writing this message while sitting in a Long Island Rail Road car on my way to Penn Station. Two political fundraisers tonight (the first in-person fundraisers in almost a year and a half) allow us the chance to meet directly with two key legislative supporters: Assembly Speaker Carl Heastie and the NYSSA’s great friend Assemblywoman Rodneyse Bichotte Hermelyn, who also chairs the Brooklyn Democratic Party. Many of you may recall that it is the assemblywoman who sponsors our safe anesthesia bill in the New York Legislature and has been a tireless advocate for patient protection legislation in New York. These political events will continue throughout the summer months and our support is recognized by lawmakers as being of great value when the legislative session reconvenes. As I am sure most of you are aware, on June 25 all of the remaining COVID-19 executive orders in New York expired. The EO that concerned our organization the most allowed for the administration of anesthesia by CRNAs in freestanding or off-site hospital-based ambulatory surgical centers without the supervision of a qualified physician in these healthcare settings. It was the goal of our nurse anesthetist colleagues this year to make this executive order permanent; fortunately, despite their significant lobbying efforts and public relations campaigns, they did not succeed. The NYSSA will continue to promote our firmly held belief that the anesthesia care team model provides the safest and highest quality care to New York patients, and we will vigorously refute any contrary claims in the months and years to come. Registration is open for the ASA annual meeting in San Diego and I hope that many of you will be ready and able to journey to California for our national gathering. There are many important issues that are presently unfolding at the ASA level, including the Pacira lawsuit and the recent advancements regarding physician oversight of anesthesia care in Pennsylvania. I encourage everyone to visit the ASA website to get updates about these and many other critical topics. In a similar vein, registration for our 75th PostGraduate Assembly will be open in just a few weeks and the PGA leadership has been working very hard to create a meeting that will honor the PGA’s rich traditions, education and history. While some of the plans we had been considering for our diamond jubilee celebration have fallen victim to the logistical problems created by the pandemic, I can assure you that it will be a great meeting and an appropriate celebration for us all. Following my own advice, there will be no president’s message in August. These messages will resume in September, but please feel free to reach out to the NYSSA office if you have any questions or concerns during the remainder of July or August. I wish all of you a safe and restful summer and thank you for all you do for your patients each day. Sincerely, Christopher Campese, M.D., M.A., M.S., FASA, CHCQM |
What is the NYSSA?
The New York State Society of Anesthesiologists (NYSSA), is a community of approximately 3,600+ New York anesthesiologists. NYSSA actively advocates on behalf of both patients and physicians in formulating standards and guidelines, to advance the practice of anesthesiology. Together, NYSSA members provide a powerful and effective voice for our specialty in New York State.
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