KANA members gathered at the Kansas State Capitol

Issues & Advocacy

A Kansas voice
for nurse
anesthetists

We advocate for policies that protect patient access, strengthen the CRNA workforce, and keep anesthesia care safe and cost-effective. Learn where we stand and how you can help.

Write Your Legislator KANA CRNA PAC

Write your legislator

Your letter in three steps

Introduce yourself to a newly elected or re-elected Kansas legislator. Use your own AI tool to draft a personal congratulations and share the one or two KANA priorities that matter most to you: AA licensure, payer parity, or practice restrictions. Then confirm the recipient and prepare a draft in your own email app. This site never sends email and never saves what you type.

Step 1: Copy your prompt
Focus: Post-election introduction to your Kansas legislator
KANA starter promptYou are helping me, a Kansas Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetist (CRNA), write a personal letter to a newly elected or re-elected Kansas state legislator. This is a KANA starter prompt to help me draft my own letter; it is not an official or final KANA campaign letter. Before you write anything, ask me these questions one at a time and wait for my answers: 1. My name and credentials as I want them signed (for example, "Jane Smith, DNP, CRNA"). 2. Whether I live in this legislator's district, and my general practice setting and community (for example, "a critical access hospital in western Kansas"). Keep this general. 3. Whether this legislator is newly elected or re-elected, and whether we have met or spoken before. 4. Which one or two of these KANA priorities matter most to me: a. Opposing licensure of anesthesiologist assistants (AAs) in Kansas b. Fair insurance reimbursement for CRNA services (payer parity) c. Removing outdated practice restrictions so CRNAs can practice to the full extent of their education and training 5. My real personal perspective: why this work matters to me and the patients and communities I serve. Important rules: - Never ask for or include patient names, dates, case details, or any other patient-identifying or private information. If I offer any, leave it out. - Do not invent experiences, stories, or quotes. Use only what I tell you. - Do not include statistics, bill numbers, or claims about the current legislative status unless I provide them and confirm they are accurate. - Do not mention political parties, campaigns, endorsements, votes I cast, or political contributions. - Do not describe or assume the legislator's positions or past votes. - Clearly present concerns as my opinion and professional perspective, not as established fact. - Where you need information you don't have (such as the legislator's name or district), use a placeholder in brackets, like [Senator/Representative Last Name]. Then write a warm, concise, respectful letter (about 200 to 300 words) that: - Congratulates the legislator on their election or re-election and thanks them for their willingness to serve. - Introduces me as a CRNA [and constituent, if I live in the district] and briefly explains, in plain language, what CRNAs do: we are advanced practice registered nurses who provide anesthesia care in hospitals, surgery centers, and offices across Kansas, and in many rural communities we are the primary anesthesia providers. - Briefly raises the one or two priorities I chose, in my own voice, as issues I hope they will keep in mind in the upcoming session. Use these points only as they fit my chosen priorities: - AA licensure: AAs must work under the medical direction of an anesthesiologist and cannot practice independently, while many rural Kansas hospitals rely on independent CRNA care. KANA has also raised concerns about competition for limited clinical training placements and added staffing costs. - Payer parity: some commercial insurers pay less for the same anesthesia service depending on which qualified provider delivers it, which in my view can strain anesthesia services, especially in smaller communities. - Practice restrictions: removing outdated restrictions that limit how CRNAs practice can help hospitals use their anesthesia workforce efficiently and protect access to care. - Keeps the tone introductory and relationship-focused, not a hard sell. This is a first contact. - Offers to be a resource on anesthesia and rural health care, and invites a brief meeting or phone call at their convenience. - Closes by thanking them again. Finally, remind me to review the letter carefully for accuracy, tone, and placeholders, and to confirm the legislator's correct name, title, district, and email before I send it.
Paste it into your own AI platform and answer its questions one at a time. Don’t share patient or other private information. Review the letter for accuracy and replace any bracketed placeholders before using it.
Step 2: Find your legislator
Enter your full street address with city. The official Kansas Legislature site opens in a new tab with your address filled in. Choose your state Senator or Representative, copy their email address, then return here.
Kansas street address
Newly elected legislators may not appear in the official directory yet. Confirm the correct name, title, district, and email before sending. If the listing has not been updated, contact KANA for help confirming the recipient.
Your address goes only to the official state lookup. KANA does not save it.
Step 3: Prepare your email
Legislator emailSubjectYour letter
Your mail app opens a draft. Confirm the recipient’s name, title, district, and email, replace any placeholders, and review your letter before sending it yourself.

Contact KANA Questions? Email KANA

Our position

Opposing AA licensure in Kansas

We oppose legislation to authorize anesthesiologist assistants (AAs) in Kansas. Our position is rooted in protecting access to anesthesia care, supporting the education of future CRNAs, and keeping care affordable for patients and healthcare facilities.

CRNAs are advanced practice nurses prepared to make independent clinical decisions. Their critical care nursing experience and specialized anesthesia education support care in hospitals, outpatient facilities, and rural communities where an anesthesiologist may not be available.

Expanding the workforce should mean strengthening the providers who can practice where care is needed. We support policies that preserve independent CRNA practice and the clinical training opportunities that prepare the next generation.

What is at stake

Access. Education. Responsible policy.

Protect rural access

Anesthesiologist assistants must work under the medical direction of an anesthesiologist; they cannot practice independently. That model depends on physician availability and does not address the needs of rural hospitals that rely on independent CRNA care. We advocate for a workforce that can serve communities across Kansas—not only urban centers.

Preserve the CRNA education pipeline

Nurse anesthesia students need access to clinical placements and specialty cases to complete their education. Adding another group of trainees would increase competition for those limited opportunities. We oppose changes that could reduce CRNA program capacity, send students out of state for training, or weaken the future rural workforce.

Keep care cost-effective

Mandatory medical direction requires both an anesthesiologist and an assistant in the care model. We support anesthesia models that use CRNAs’ education and independent clinical judgment efficiently, without adding required layers of staffing that can increase costs for hospitals and patients.

Put evidence and accountability first

Patient safety depends on education, clinical competence, and accountability. We oppose adding a dependent provider role without a demonstrated improvement in safety or access. Workforce policy should respond to patient needs, make responsible use of healthcare resources, and protect effective care models.

Position resources

Understand the issues

Read our position statement and answers to common questions about AA licensure. Contact our office for guidance on current legislation and how to get involved.

KANA priorities

Questions about policy?

Contact KANA with policy questions or see the published materials on the For Legislators page.

Contact KANA For Legislators

Support advocacy

The KANA CRNA PAC

Supporters who want to give can learn about the KANA CRNA PAC and how contributions are made.

Donate Now

A Kansas voicefor nurseanesthetists