Nearly 80 percent of rapes and sexual assaults go unreported, in part because of a severe shortage of licensed health care specialists known as sexual assault nurse examiners (SANEs), who help properly secure evidence from survivors of sexual assault, which can lead to higher prosecution rates.
In a first-of-its-kind partnership, the Nicole Wertheim College of Nursing & Health Sciences and the Global Forensic and Justice Center at FIU will collaborate with rural health clinics and hospitals on a university-based program to nearly double Florida’s number of SANE-certified nurses to aid sexual assault survivors in rural and underserved communities.
The U.S. Health Resources and Services Administration awarded a $1.5 million grant to Tami Thomas, associate dean of research for the college, to launch the Advanced Nursing Education-Regionally Underserved Sexual Assault Nurse Examiner (RUSANE) program.
SANE-certified nurses conduct forensic medical examinations, as well as provide survivors with physical and mental health care to help deal with the trauma. Reflecting on her experience in collection of forensic evidence from child survivors of sexual abuse and assault, Thomas conveyed the significance of having properly trained nurses in this field.
“SANE nurses are on the frontline to treat survivors compassionately with the physical and emotional support they need, while assisting the legal system in their efforts to bring the criminal perpetrators to justice,” she said.
Over the next three years, the FIU RUSANE program will recruit, train and deploy upwards of 30 eligible licensed registered nurses and certified advanced practice registered nurses at clinics in Hendry and Glades counties, the city of Belle Glade in Palm Beach County, and the city of Sweetwater in Miami-Dade County.
FIU Nursing will partner with local health care clinics in the four regions to provide culturally appropriate didactic and clinical training to prepare the nurses for SANE certification and serve at the clinics. Additionally, psychiatric-mental health nurse practitioner faculty and counselors will be available to support sexual assault survivors, as well as SANE-certified nurses as they cope with the challenges of the job.
The FIU Global Forensic and Justice Center will extend the impact of the program through continuing education courses that will keep SANE nurses informed on the latest forensic science and technological advancements to ensure efficacy of forensic exams, evidence collection, and to improve retention of SANE-certified nurses in the health care system.
