Aspirus SANE Program
Providing compassionate care for adolescents and adult sexual assault victims
4/1/2024
Amy Riegert, RN, Aspirus SANE Coordinator
Every 68 seconds, an
American is sexually assaulted – 54 percent are between the ages of 18 and 34,
according to RAINN (Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network). These
statistics are not just numbers; they represent individuals whose lives have
been deeply impacted by sexual violence.
Shockingly, one
in three women and one in six men have experienced sexual violence
nationally, often by someone they know. This trauma highlights the urgent need
for awareness and support to address this pervasive issue and help survivors
heal.
The experience of
sexual assault is devastating for patients and their loved ones. To begin the
healing process, the nurses of the Aspirus Sexual Assault Nurse Examiner
Program (SANE) are specially trained to provide compassionate care and
treatment to survivors of assault.
“At Aspirus, we have
a team of nurses with specialized training to perform medical and forensic
examinations for adolescents and adults who have been sexually assaulted or
strangled,” explains Amy Riegert, Registered Nurse and SANE Coordinator with
Aspirus Health.
During a SANE exam,
the patient is always in control. “Our exams encompass trauma-informed care,
giving survivors their autonomy back and allowing them to make choices for
themselves,” says Riegert. “Some of the choices they can make include what
services they want us to provide and setting a pace that they’re comfortable
with.”
With permission, the
nurse will ask the survivor 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.
The evidence
collected during the exam will go into a kit that will be shipped directly to
the Wisconsin State Crime Lab. Riegert explains that the kit will be held for
up to ten years, allowing survivors time to decide if they want to report the
assault to law enforcement or not. If survivors choose to track their kit
through the chain of custody from law enforcement to the crime lab, nurses can
provide information at this time.
Aspirus SANE
Programs are expanding across the system, with services currently available at
seven Aspirus hospitals. If someone has experienced sexual assault, they can go
to one of the locations listed below or to their nearest emergency department
to get set up with arrangements to travel to the nearest hospital that performs
forensic exams.
To contact Aspirus
SANE in your area, call:
- Aspirus Ironwood
Hospital: 906.932.2525
- Aspirus Medford
Hospital 715.748.8100
- Aspirus Rhinelander
Hospital: 715.361.2000
- Aspirus Riverview
Hospital: 715.423.6060
- Aspirus Stevens
Point Hospital: 715.346.5000
- Aspirus Wausau
Hospital: 715.847.2121
- Howard Young Medical
Center: 715.356.8000
Riegert emphasizes
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 emergency department.”
For more about SANE,
visit aspirus.org/SANE.
To speak with
someone anonymously, the following 24/7 free confidential hotlines are
available:
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