“Since entering the Fellowship, John and Stace have achieved the criteria for this award by doing outstanding work in the field of acute pain management,” said Bill Johnson, DNAP, CRNA, Director of the Fellowship, during the award presentation. “They are staunch advocates in reducing persistent opioid use among the surgical patient population. Both have led hospital-based projects that have dramatically reduced perioperative opioid use and reduced postoperative opioid prescribing practices by surgeons at their hospital facility.”

Johnson also highlighted other achievements by Edwards and Dollar, which included their work as co-founders of Thoroughbred Anesthesia Academy, co-investigators on two recent research studies related to the enhanced recovery after surgery for breast cancer patients, and facilitators of a safe opioid-disposal system implemented by Baptist Health Lexington.

“I am surprised and thankful to receive the Fellowship award from MTSA/AANA,” Dollar said. “It is an honor to be selected along with my great friend and colleague John Edwards. Completing the Fellowship has given me the knowledge to provide better pain management for our patients.”

“I was honored to receive the award alongside Stace,” Edwards said. “Acute surgical pain management is our passion, and it’s become integrated with our life.

“In the development process of the acute pain service at Baptist Health Lexington six years ago, we were doing about 800 nerve blocks per year. As we’ve grown and applied the principle of acute surgical pain management that we learned in the Fellowship, we now are a service that this year will provide nearly 4,500 nerve blocks, over half of which include the usage of catheters to prolong the pain management beyond discharge from the hospital,” Edwards added.

Dollar said he has seen CRNAs become more involved with regional anesthesia and pain management over the last 10 years: “Being at a facility that provides over 4,500 nerve blocks a year, it takes a team effort to make sure that pain is well managed.”

In addition, Dollar complimented MTSA’s ASPM Fellowship, saying it’s “an excellent program and continues to improve on a daily basis. It is impressive to watch Dr. Bill Johnson continue to make these improvements and grow the program. It has grown from a few applicants for 12 Fellowship positions to requiring interviews for the available vacancies. He keeps all the current and past fellows involved through discussion boards with the latest articles.”

In conjunction with Baptist Health Lexington’s Acute Pain Service, Edwards and Dollar have been instrumental in a project to provide each surgical patient who is being discharged from the facility with an educational brochure about the safe use of opioids and an at-home disposal kit to safely dispose of any unused opioids.

About the Outstanding Achievement Award

Recipients are selected by MTSA and the American Association of Nurse Anesthetists (AANA) to receive the Outstanding Achievement Award, which includes a $1,000 cash prize. The award is based on a Fellow’s ability to:

• contribute to the clinical expertise and scholarship in acute pain management;
• advance the scope of nurse anesthesia practice;
• develop innovative acute surgical pain management approaches that contribute to safe and effective patient care;
• inspire other nurse anesthesia providers in the profession;
• interact collegially with all health care providers to positively impact the image of nurse anesthesia; and
• participate in community affairs, legislation and organizations that affect and advance nurse anesthesia practice.

Dollar and Edwards have donated the $1,000 to the Baptist Health Lexington Foundation’s Opioid Stewardship Initiative, which not only helps provide education about the safe use of prescribed opioids but also funds opioid disposal packets that allow for the safe disposal of unused opioids after a surgical procedure. The initiative helps to reduce the amount of unused opioids that remain in medicine cabinets that can be misused or diverted into the community.

Both were recently honored at MTSA’s Mission and Awards Gala. Edwards was the 2019 recipient of the Nevin Downs, MD Leadership Award. In 2018, Dollar received the Mary Elizabeth DeVasher Distinguished Alumni Service Award.