By Sapir Sasson
Promoting Awareness, Victim Empowerment
In light of Sexual Assault Awareness Month, I want to call attention to the wonderful, one-of-a-kind service offered at Meriter Hospital. The Sexual Assault Nurse Examiner (SANE) program provides services to sexual assault victims both male and female. I interviewed Wendy Seay, a SANE nurse, who has been working in the program for six years and has been a nurse for 35 years.
Meriter's SANE program, founded in 1988, is available 24 hours a day, seven days a week as staffing allows. SANE nurses see about 380 victims a year. Fifty-five percent of victims who utilize this service are under the age of 17. One of the main objectives of the SANE program is to lessen the trauma for sexual assault victims by providing compassionate support and the appropriate health services to deal with the aftereffects of sexual assault. With the help of a Rape Crisis Center (RCC) advocate, the SANE program provides crisis intervention and can help victims feel more safe and secure.
There is a general protocol for someone who comes into the Meriter Hospital emergency room for a SANE exam. When a victim comes in, a SANE nurse is paged and she notifies RCC to send an advocate. The victim is taken to a special waiting room to wait for the SANE nurse. The RCC advocate can stay with the victim throughout the exam or wait for the victim until he/she is done with the exam—whichever the victim prefers. The exam can last anywhere between 2.5 to six hours, depending on the situation. The SANE nurse asks the victim basic questions about sexual history, background health information and the assault. Most cases involving college women involve alcohol, and thus a urine or blood sample may be obtained. It is worth mentioning that alcohol does not get the victim in trouble with the law. It is to the victim's advantage to be honest about the level of intoxication because under Wisconsin state law, anyone who is under the influence of alcohol is unable to consent to intercourse.
The next step is a head-to-toe physical exam. If the victim comes in within 96 hours of the assault, the nurse is usually able to collect forensic evidence, but factors such as bathing and significant injury may alter this time guideline (this will only be done if the victim so chooses). Otherwise, the nurse looks for injury and/or evidence of force. However, lack of injury in no way implies that the sexual encounter was consensual or that an assault did not occur.
The exam begins with the least invasive aspects and ends with a pelvic exam. A colposcope is used to take pictures of the pelvic area and any injuries that may be present. Tests for sexually transmitted infections may or may not be useful at this point, depending on how long it has been since the assault. Following the pelvic exam, the nurse discusses treatment and reporting options with the victim. Victims over the age of 18 are given the choice of whether or not they want to report the assault; the hospital staff is mandated by law to report any assault in which the victim is a minor. The SANE nurse follows up with the victim a week after the exam to talk about any lab results and see how the victim is doing. When a UW-Madison student comes in, the Offices of the Dean of Students are notified (the victim's name is never given). Students are encouraged to talk to ODOS. Often, victims follow up with RCC, a great resource that provides free counseling and extensive support to sexual assault victims and their family and friends.
There are a couple of key points I would like to emphasize. First, many people worry about the cost of the hospital stay. For those who do not have health insurance, do not want their parents to find out or cannot have the bill go through their insurance for whatever reason, there are funds available to help victims pay for these services. If the victim is reporting the assault, the Crime Victim's Compensation fund will pay for the services. In the event that the victim is not reporting the assault or has not yet decided whether he/she wants to report, the Sexual Assault Forensic Exam (SAFE) fund can cover the costs of the hospital services provided. Second, a victim does not have to make the decision of whether to report the crime right away. Meriter Hospital has an agreement with the Madison Police Department in which the police keep DNA kits indefinitely, in case the victim later decides he/she does want to report the assault. This is a unique arrangement that is offered only in Dane County.
It is recommended to seek care as soon as possible after an assault. My goal with this article is not to make victims feel compelled to seek help, but rather to raise awareness about this wonderful program available to sexual assault victims that provides complete, compassionate and confidential care.
Sapir Sasson is a PAVE facilitator. Please send responses to opinion@dailycardinal.com.
