January 22, 2010, Georgetown, OH… Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetists (CRNA)from Ohio and thousands from across the country will tell America We never Miss a Beat as they celebrate the 11th Annual National Nurse Anesthetist Week celebration, January 24-30.

This year’s catchphrase We Never Miss a Beat touts the quality of care that nurse anesthetists pride themselves on providing patients, to provide the safest anesthesia possible, nurse anesthetists remain by their patients’ side every moment of their procedure, monitoring their vital signs to help ensure a comfortable and safe anesthesia experience. At Brown County General Hospital the CRNA’s stand ready 24-hours a day to provide anesthesia services to surgical and obstetrical patients.

"As anesthesia providers, it is important to be aware of every heartbeat, every breath, and be ready to quickly respond if necessary. Which is why CRNAs are so proud to belong to a profession that has maintained a sterling record of providing patient-safety for more than 150 years," said Dr. Magdalena Kerschner, Director of the Brown County General Hospital Anesthesiology Department.

Established by the American Association of Nurse Anesthetists (AANA), National Nurse Anesthetists Week was created to encourage CRNAs to take the opportunity to educate the public about anesthesia safety, questions to ask prior to undergoing surgery, and the benefits of receiving anesthesia care from nurse anesthetists.

Nurse anesthetists are advanced practice nurses who administer approximately 30 million anesthetics in the United States each year. Practicing in every setting where anesthesia is delivered, CRNAs are the primary anesthesia providers in rural hospitals, and have been the main provider of anesthesia care to U.S. service men and women on the front lines since World War I.

"Historically, CRNAs have played a considerable role in advancing trends related to monitoring technology, anesthetic drugs, and patient education. In fact, anesthesia today is nearly 50 times safer than it was in the early 1980’s," said Dr. Kerschner.

Locally, the Mayor of the Village of Georgetown, Dale Cahall, honored the Nurse Anesthetists at Brown County General Hospital with a proclamation to recognize these medical professionals and their role in providing quality healthcare to the public.