Welcome to the CRNAs Who Care About Healthcare PAC!

Be a voice in Virginia CRNAs and for your future and donate to the PAC!

The CRNA-PAC provides financial support to candidates seeking election to the Virginia House of Delegates and the Virginia Senate. The CRNA-PAC does not make financial contributions to federal candidates. The CRNA-PAC helps elect candidates, regardless of party affiliation, who are interested in the issues that impact the professional practice of Virginia’s CRNAs.

Why do Virginia CRNAs need a PAC?

The CRNA-PAC provides an organized way for CRNAs to support political candidates, causes, legislation, regulations or initiatives that support health care issues that are important to Virginia’s CRNAs. The CRNA-PAC helps foster relationships with political candidates by creating a simple way for CRNAs who share a common goal or interest to have their voice heard within the political system.

Who may contribute to a PAC?

The CRNA-PAC may accept contributions from any individual, corporation, union, association or partnership. A PAC may not accept contributions from a foreign national or foreign corporation, although there is an exception for individuals with a valid green card.

How are donations dispersed?

The PAC board of directors determines, in a bipartisan fashion, the positions of candidates whose positions on health care more closely reflect the positions of Virginia CRNAs.

Do PAC contributions buy votes?

Absolutely not. But by participating fully in the process, CRNAs gain access to legislators in the same way other health care professional groups have done with great success for many years. Being more of a known quantity will help CRNAs gain access to legislators at critical times in the legislative process.

GEMS

VANA offers an opportunity for its members to contribute to the health of this organization and every Virginia CRNA through its GEM program. Studies show the long-term viability of any organization stems from its monthly contributions. This proves true for our PAC. Legislative changes depend on PAC dollars and PAC depends on its GEMS. In fact, the vast majority of PAC funds come from monthly GEM contributions.

Become a GEM and know you are doing a great service to protect our profession and keep Virginia CRNA strong. Just click here and sign up.

Gem Levels
Amethyst: Less than $25 per month
Ruby: $25 – $49 per month
Sapphire: $50 – $74 per month
Emerald: $75 -$99 per month
Diamond: $100+ per month


As much fun as it’s been to disparage non-AANA members and flog the NBCRNA for a variety of discretions, real and imagined, I would like to turn the discussion to a problem that is a real and proximate threat to our practice rights and profession: Failure to contribute to our national and state PACs. In North Carolina we have faced an incessant assault on collaborative practice from organized medicine. Last year HB 181 passed the NC House essentially without opposition and would have passed the Senate with little resistance were it not for the efforts of our lobbyist, engaged members, and Senator Daniel Apodaca, chair of the Rules Committee, who sat on the bill until the end of the session. Anesthesiologists in NC fund at least 10 PACs, we have one. They will be back next year with a new bill, more money, and believe me, a bad attitude. They are more than a little perturbed that their simple “affirmation” of NC law requiring supervision of nurse anesthetists did not get signed into law. HB 181 would have thrown a real wrench in office based, and out patient surgery practice for CRNAs in NC, and tightened the stranglehold anesthesiologists have here in the birthplace of the ACT.

If the average CRNA salary (2080 hr work year) is $180K, that translates roughly to an hourly rate of $86.54/hour. An annual contribution to the AANA Federal PAC of $1000.00, combined with an annual contribution of $1000.00 to your state’s PAC would amount to 1.2% of your pretax annual salary, or in more understandable terms, $1.04 per hour (a cup of dressed up java at Starbucks is > $4.00 most places).If all NC CRNAs made a $1000.00 yearly commitment to protect our practice, our PAC would have $2,000,000.00 at its disposal annually. That is a game changing, slap in the face, kick in the butt, kiss your girlfriend, steal your lunch money, and call your momma fat, kind of sledgehammer. If you are not contributing to your PAC, you are letting someone else pay the price and carry the water for safeguarding the future of your practice rights, and they may not have the capital to get through check out.

-Terry Wicks, AANA Past President

Donate to the CRNA-PAC Today!

Be a voice for Virginia CRNAs and for your future and donate to the PAC! The CRNA-PAC provides financial support to candidates seeking election to the Virginia House of Delegates and the Virginia Senate. Learn more and donate today!

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