Fighting for Inclusivity: How a CRNA Changed Her Community with Maureen McCartney Anderson

Our guest today has quite the story to tell about advocacy but it’s not the same advocacy we normally discuss on the show. Maureen McCartney Anderson, CRNA has been in-volved with her state association in New Jersey for a number of years and was on the path of advocating for professional rights, but that changed dramatically when her baby was born with handicaps. Now she’s pouring much of her energy into advocating for the special needs children’s population and making a difference in her community with the help of other CRNAs. She realized quickly that some children were being left behind at the playground because they lacked inclusive options for children and adults of all abilities. So she took on the task of advocating for an inclusive playground in her local community of Mansquan, New Jersey. In doing so, they developed a charity called Friends of Manasquan Parks and Recreation to help expand the mission and vision they had for recreation initiatives.  Things really took off when the group ‘CRNA Moms’ got involved and the two-year project was officially completed in December 2022. Today we’ll learn more about Maureen’s advocacy efforts and how the CRNA community rallied around a wonderful cause.   Here are some of the things you’ll learn on this show: The story of how this mission became a top priority for her after her son were born. How she’s helped educate people on the need for inclusivity. The back-and-forth efforts they went through on design and why they cared so much about making it fun for everyone. The incredible support she received from the CRNA community after reaching out to the CRNA Moms Facebook group. The different fundraising efforts they took on to raise money for this $900,000 project. What’s next for Maureen and the charity?   Visit us online: http://beyondthemaskpodcast.com  Get the CE certificate here: https://beyondthemaskpodcast.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/04/Beyond-the-Mask-CE-Cert-FILLABLE.pdf