LAFAYETTE, La. (AP) - A program that trains nurses to conduct forensic sexual assault exams in Lafayette emergency rooms since 2006 expanded to St. Martin Parish last year and plans to continue its outreach into Iberia Parish later this year.
Jill Howell Dugas, Hearts of Hope executive director, tells The Advocate (https://bit.ly/1dQs5wZ ) Hearts of Hope began the Sexual Assault Nurse Examiners program to alleviate what was often an hours-long wait for an exam and the potential loss of critical evidence, or prevent a patient from leaving the emergency room before treatment.
“You could lose evidence waiting. You could lose the patient altogether because they have so many emotions and they’re waiting in an ER waiting to be seen and not getting the care that they need,” Dugas said.
Currently, there are four SANE-trained nurses taking emergency room calls and more are still in training, Dugas said. Training takes about a year and includes online and face-to-face classes, clinical experiences and buddy calls with a trained SANE nurse.
“Our next goal is to expand into Iberia,” she said. “We just need to find funding.”
The expansion into St. Martin Parish was due to the cooperation of the cities of Breaux Bridge and St. Martinville, the St. Martin Parish Sheriff’s Office, the 16th Judicial District Attorney’s Office and St. Martin Hospital, said Chester Cedars, chief prosecutor for St. Martin Parish.
That cooperation was backed by a financial commitment.
The law enforcement agencies in Breaux Bridge, St. Martinville and the Sheriff’s Office each agreed to budget $10,000 annually for the SANE nurse program, Cedars said.
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Information from: The Advocate, https://theadvocate.com
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