The Wisconsin
Department of Health Services (DHS) reports that about 1.2 million Wisconsin
adults have experienced sexual violence in their lifetime – that is about one
out of three adult women and almost one out of every five adult men.
Aspirus Stanley
Hospital recently became the ninth Aspirus Hospital offering direct local
access to a Sexual Assault Nurse Examiner (SANE) program in its Emergency
Department (ED).
“The experience of
sexual assault and domestic violence is deeply devastating for patients and
their loved ones,” said Nicole Dekan, Nursing Supervisor-Emergency Services at
Aspirus Stanley Hospital. “To help begin the healing process, the nurses of our
SANE Program provide compassionate care and treatment to patients who have been
assaulted.”
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 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, complete an evidence collection kit, offer risk assessment for
pregnancy and sexually transmitted infections (STIs) and if necessary,
coordinate care with a sexual assault advocate.
“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,” adds Dekan. “Some of the choices
they can make are about what services they want us to provide for them and
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 help,” said Candice Aspen, SANE Nurse at
Aspirus Stanley Hospital. “In addition, we 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 a kit that will be shipped directly to the
Wisconsin State Crime Lab, where Aspen 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,” adds Aspirus Stanley Hospital
SANE Nurse Victoria Kramar.
Aspirus SANE
Programs have expanded across the system to now provide services in Wisconsin,
Michigan’s Upper Peninsula and Northeast Minnesota.
If someone has
experienced sexual assault, they can go to one of the locations or to their
nearest ED to get set up with arrangements to travel to the nearest hospital
that does perform forensic exams. If a survivor is seeking care where SANE
services are not available, patients can still get the preventative care they
need such as emergency contraception, as well as protection against STIs and
HIV.
“We are proud to add
this important program at Aspirus Stanley which excels in providing highly
specialized clinical care in concert with the compassion needed under difficult
circumstances,” said Anne Sadowska, Chief Administrative Officer, Aspirus Stanley
Hospital.
For more information
on the Aspirus Sexual Assault Treatment program and its available locations,
visit aspirus.org.