H.R. No. 1181
 
 
 
R E S O L U T I O N
         WHEREAS, In the early 1960s, leaders in the medical specialty
  of anesthesiology recognized the existence of staffing shortages,
  and to meet growing demands and accommodate the increasing
  complexity of anesthesia and surgery, a group of anesthesiologists
  proposed the precursor to what is now the health care occupation of
  certified anesthesiologist assistant; and
         WHEREAS, Certified anesthesiologist assistants are highly
  skilled health professionals who work under the direction of
  licensed physician anesthesiologists to implement anesthesia care
  plans and work exclusively within the Anesthesia Care Team model,
  as described by the American Society of Anesthesiologists; and
         WHEREAS, All CAA students must have earned a baccalaureate
  degree with premedical coursework to be admitted into a CAA
  training program and must complete a comprehensive didactic and
  clinical program at the graduate level; and
         WHEREAS, CAA training programs must also include a minimum of
  24 months in a master's level program accredited by the Commission
  on Accreditation of Allied Health Education Programs and must be
  based at, or work in collaboration with, a university that has a
  medical school and academic anesthesiologist physician faculty; as
  part of their CAA training, students are typically required to
  successfully complete an average of 600 hours of classroom and
  laboratory education and 2,600 hours of clinical anesthesia
  education; they are also required to administer a total of more than
  600 anesthetics and to gain experience in all types of surgery; and
         WHEREAS, Certified anesthesiologist assistants are trained
  extensively in the delivery and maintenance of quality anesthesia
  care as well as advanced patient monitoring techniques; they
  perform tasks such as administering drugs, obtaining vascular
  access, applying and interpreting monitors, establishing and
  maintaining patient airways, and assisting with preoperative
  assessment; and
         WHEREAS, In 2010, Dr. Carin Hagberg, in her role as the chief
  of anesthesiology for The University of Texas Health Science Center
  at Houston, developed a partnership with Case Western Reserve
  University to start a CAA program in Houston; it received initial
  accreditation in 2010 from the Commission on Accreditation of
  Allied Health Education Programs and the Accreditation Review
  Committee for the Anesthesiologist Assistant; that same year, 16
  graduate students were enrolled in the program, and they completed
  their studies in 2012; and
         WHEREAS, In 2019, under the guidance of program director
  Kenneth Maloney, CAA, the Case Western Reserve University
  Anesthesiologist Assistant Program expanded to provide clinical
  rotations in Central Texas at Baylor Scott and White Health in North
  Austin; and
         WHEREAS, Certified anesthesiologist assistants currently
  provide anesthesia within an anesthesia care team at many major
  hospitals in Texas, including the Heart Hospital of Austin, Baylor
  Scott and White Health, Children's Medical Center Dallas, Methodist
  Hospital, Memorial Hermann Orthopedic and Spine Hospital, Memorial
  Hermann Southwest, Memorial Hermann The Woodlands, Memorial
  Hermann Sugar Land, St. David's Hospital System in Austin, and
  Texas Heart Institute at Baylor St. Luke's Medical Center; and
         WHEREAS, Certified anesthesiologist assistants practice in
  19 states, the District of Columbia, and the U.S. Territory of Guam;
  they also practice within the Medicare system and provide
  anesthesia services for a multitude of medical procedures every
  year in the United States; they have practiced in Texas since 1997,
  when Dr. John Zerwas of Greater Houston Anesthesiology brought them
  into the practice to address the shortage in anesthesia providers;
  and
         WHEREAS, The Texas Academy of Anesthesiologist Assistants is
  dedicated to the ethical advancement of the CAA profession and to
  creating a better future through innovation, cutting-edge
  medicine, advocacy, and education; the academy is ably led by
  president Tasha Krueger, CAA, Tim Goodridge, CAA, and secretary
  Thao Nguyen, CAA, as well as board members Frank Trzaska, CAA, Jana
  McAllister, CAA, and Paul McHorse, CAA; and
         WHEREAS, Certified anesthesiologist assistants have
  dedicated their careers to serving the citizens of Texas, and they
  are indeed deserving of special commendation; now, therefore, be it
         RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 88th Texas
  Legislature hereby recognize the week of February 20 through
  February 24, 2023, as Certified Anesthesiologist Assistant Week in
  Texas and encourage residents of the Lone Star State to pay tribute
  to these invaluable professionals.
 
  Oliverson
 
  ______________________________
  Speaker of the House     
 
         I certify that H.R. No. 1181 was adopted by the House on April
  28, 2023, by a non-record vote.
 
  ______________________________
  Chief Clerk of the House