August 25, 2025
Commentary for The Madera Tribune By Kuljit Sapraj, CRNA
Central California feeds the state and the nation. Yet too often, our region does not receive the same investment in health care that we give back in food, energy, and labor. Rural families deserve better.
As a Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetist (CRNA) practicing in Madera County, I know the challenges our communities face in accessing safe and timelycare. When Madera Community Hospital reopened thisyear, it was a victoryfor our entire region — thanks to the leadership of Senator Anna Caballero, Assemblymember Esmeralda Soria, AAM, and many others who understood what was at stake. Their work ensured that over 150,000 residents once again have care close to home.
But our work is not finished. Rural California continues to face provider shortages, rising costs, and the veryreal threat of more closures. Adventist Health has already warned that two Central Valley hospitals are at risk. Across the nation, nearly one in five Americans lives in a “health care desert,” where services like maternitycare, surgery, or anesthesia are simply unavailable. We cannot allow that to happen here.
That’s why AB 876 so important. Championed by Assemblymember Heath Flora, this bill is a lifeline for rural hospitals and their patients. AB 876 makes clear that CRNAs — highlytrained anesthesia professionals — have long-standing authorityto provide care independently. This clarityis critical for small hospitals and communityclinics that operate on razor-thin margins and cannot afford duplicate roles, costly delays, or restrictive policies that take providers awayfrom the bedside.
For decades, CRNAs have safely delivered anesthesia in everysetting — from surgical centers and maternity wards to trauma bays — including in California counties where there is a reduction in physician anesthesiologists. We are trusted members of the health care team, committed to showing up day and night, rural or urban, wherever anesthesia is needed.
AB 876 empowers hospitals to use every available provider efficiently, keeping care affordable, timely, and local.For Central Valley families, this can mean the difference between receiving treatment in their own community or having to travel hours for surgery.
For the patients I serve in Madera County and across the Valley, the message is simple: AB 876 protects access to safe anesthesia services, prevents dangerous gaps in care, and ensures that no Californian is left behind because of their zip code.
Kuljit Sapraj is a Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetist (CRNA) with a doctoral degree in nurse anesthesia, serving patients at Madera Community Hospital.
Source: https://maderatribune.com/commentary-strengthening-safe-timely-anesthesia-services-for-all/