Aspirus SANE Program
Providing compassionate care for adolescents and adult sexual assault victims
4/12/2023
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Amy Riegert, Registered Nurse and SANE Coordinator with Aspirus Health
The Wisconsin
Department of Health Services (DHS) reports that about 1.2 million Wisconsin
adults have experienced sexual violence in their lifetime – that’s about one
out of three adult women and almost one out of every five adult men.
The experience of
sexual assault is deeply devastating for patients and their loved ones. To help
begin the healing process, the nurses of the Aspirus SANE Program provide
compassionate care and treatment to patients who have been assaulted.
“SANE stands for
Sexual Assault Nurse Examiner, which is interchangeable with FNE or Forensic
Nurse Examiner,” says Amy Riegert, Registered Nurse and SANE Coordinator with
Aspirus Health. “At Aspirus, we have a team of nurses with specialized training
to perform medical and forensic examination for adolescents and adults who have
been sexually assaulted or strangled.”
What Happens During the Exam
Aspirus SANE exams can
be done up to 120 hours, or five days, after an assault. When patients report
to an Aspirus Emergency Department (ED) where services are available, they are
brought to a dedicated safe and private environment where the exam will take
place. With permission, the nurse will ask the patient about the assault,
perform a physical exam including genitalia, complete an evidence collection
kit, offer risk assessment for pregnancy and sexually transmitted infections
(STIs) and coordinate care with a sexual assault advocate.
Riegert assures that
the patient is always in control.
“Our exams encompass
trauma-informed care. A patient has been through a traumatic event and
therefore we give them their autonomy back during this exam and allow them the
opportunity to make choices for themselves,” says Riegert. “Some of the choices
they can make are about what services they want us to provide for them and then
setting a pace that they’re comfortable with.”
The Value of Care
Care is important
whether a patient chooses to report the assault to law enforcement or not.
If the patient wishes
to report, the SANE nurse will provide assistance. Nurses are mandated to
report sexual assaults of patients under 18 years old. If the patient is over
18 and unsure if they want to report the assault, the evidence collected during
the exam will go into kit that will be shipped directly to the Wisconsin State
Crime Lab, where Riegert says it will be held for up to ten years for them to
decide if they would like to report of not.
If the patient would
like to track their kit through the chain of custody from law enforcement to
crime lab, the nurse can provide information at this time.
Aspirus SANE Programs
expand across the system, with services currently available at six Aspirus
hospitals. If someone has experienced sexual assault, they can go to one of the
locations listed below or to their nearest ED to get set up with arrangements
to travel to the nearest hospital that does perform forensic exams. Riegert
adds that if a survivor is seeking care where SANE services aren’t available,
“patients can still get the preventative care they need such as emergency
contraception, as well as protection against STIs and HIV. These are available
at any ED.”
Support for survivors
of sexual assault is available. To contact Aspirus SANE in your area, call:
- Aspirus Wausau
Hospital: 715-847-2121
- Howard Young Medical
Center: 715-356-8000
- Aspirus Rhinelander
Hospital: 715-361-2000
- Aspirus Riverview
Hospital: 715-423-6060
- Aspirus Stevens Point
Hospital: 715-346-5000
- Aspirus Ironwood
Hospital: 906-932-2525
To speak with someone
anonymously, the following 24/7 free confidential hotlines are available:
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