Posted December 14, 2007

Greetings

To all of the CRNAs and families affected by the recent wildfires and floods, may I extend most sincere wishes for a rapid return to a sense of normalcy in your lives. Natural Disasters have a way of continuing to be grave stressors long after they are no longer news items. Peer support can greatly affect the recovery process.

I’d like to update everyone on what’s been happening in KPNAA. In August, your
Executive Committee met to discuss our long range vision for the organization and to Plan the second Facility Representative Training Day which was held on October 5. Information presented at that meeting included a mentoring program for new CRNA employees, the Corrective Action Process, and PowerPoint presentations as a tool for communication. You can view the slides presented at the meeting on the KPNAA website.

The keynote speaker of the day was John August, the Executive Director of the National Coalition of Kaiser Permanente Unions. He presented a thought provoking message on “The Case For Change” imperative necessary to continue Kaiser’s mission to provide high quality affordable healthcare to working families. He illustrated how Unit Based Teams are the key to continuing that mission, and joined us in our facilities’ reports on progress in their Targeted Unit Based Teams. Mr. August was quite impressed with KPNAA members’ involvement in this initiative and their insight on how Operating Room efficiency is only one part of the equation to improve the patient care experience. In his follow-up communication to Coalition Leaders, he stated his opinion that CRNAs have extremely valuable experience and must play a bigger role in the Labor Management Partnership and the Coalition of Unions. Your Facility Representatives made a great impression! LMP activity is an important venue for demonstrating CRNAs’ leadership skills and value to the organization.

The weekend of October 6-7 continued in Redondo Beach with the well-attended Joint CANA / KPNAA meeting. The CANA meetings are always a great opportunity to see old friends, learn new things, and support our State Organization. Our own KPNAA past president, Mike Churchin, was elected to the CANA Board. Congratulations, Mike!

The highlight of the weekend was the presentation of the Sophie Winton Award to
Dr. John Naglehout by Dr. Joyce Kelly at a lovely (and loving) reception sponsored
By KPNAA. The Sophie Winton Award was established in 1990 to honor a CRNA who has advanced the practice and profession of nurse anesthetists.

The last JAMCO meeting took place on November 5. Targeted Unit Based Teams, difficulties in tracking data on pre-op antibiotic administration, and the need for proper cleaning of laryngoscope handles were issues discussed by Dr. Ward in the Anesthesia Chiefs’ meeting report. The staffing update on the 7 new CRNA positions in Orange County and the CRNA recruitment report by Monica Freeman were presented. Work was begun on determining our KPNAA 2008 Performance Sharing Program (PSP) goals.