On Friday, March 27, Congress passed the Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security Act or CARES Act. This bill is the third relief effort passed by Congress to help address both the economic and healthcare effects of COVID-19. The AANA worked hard to successfully advocate for our members as Congress drafted the legislation, ensuring it would include economic relief for CRNAs and other providers, additional funding for hospitals, and means to address the shortage of personal protective equipment (PPE). We are pleased to see a number of items that we advocated for included in the final legislation.
What’s in the CARES Act that affects CRNAs:
Over $350 billion in low interest loans for small businesses
Title VIII Nursing Workforce Development Funding
Relief for Students and Student Loan Borrowers
Resources for Hospitals and Facilities
Read more about the CARES Act and how it helps CRNAs
To ensure that AANA members have access to all the resources made available by the CARES Act and the federal government at this critical time, we have created a resource page to help members who have questions and want help navigating the relief systems.
Access the AANA COVID-19 resources page
While we view the CARES Act as an important step forward with a number of helpful provisions for CRNAs as well as other healthcare providers and facilities, our advocacy continues. We will persist in pushing for more access to PPE, more grants and funding for rural and critical access hospitals, more resources for our members who face uncertain economic times, and the removal of barriers to practice during this emergency. Please don’t hesitate to reach out to the AANA Federal Government Affairs team if you have questions about the CARES Act at [email protected].
Thank you for all your do for our profession, especially in these difficult times.
Sincerely,
Lorraine Jordan, PhD, CRNA, CAE, FAAN
Chief Advocacy Officer
