SENATE RESOLUTION NO. 111
	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 Senate of the State of Texas, 88th
	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.
	Whitmire
		________________________________
		President of the Senate
		I hereby certify that the
		above Resolution was adopted by
		the Senate on February 7, 2023.
		________________________________
		Secretary of the Senate
		________________________________
		Member, Texas Senate