SANE help is here

By Kathryn Marmon
Beacon staff writer
Published Tuesday, March 24, 2009 10:35 AM MDT

GRANTS - Cibola General Hospital has made efforts to initiate a sexual assault nurse examiner unit for years and now it finally has a fully staffed SANE program. The staff began seeing their first patients in November 2008.

During a SANE exam the nurses apply a prophylaxis for sexually transmitted diseases, if necessary, or antibiotics to wounded areas and check for other injuries that would require treatment.

Assault victims need to be treated by SANE within five days of an incident, and patients who are 13 years or younger need to go to pediatrics in Albuquerque.

The primary objective of SANE is to attend to the medical and psychological well being of the patients, whether they are male or female. It is the patient's option to accept or decline a medical screening exam done in the emergency room, where they can have a support person present. After the exam, ER refers the patient to SANE. The patient can request to be seen only by SANE personnel, who will advise them about treatment.

In this small community, there are inherent issues regarding the privacy of individuals, according to Janna Roop, certified nurse and midwife and SANE nurse.

“People don't report and get care for these assaults,” said Roop. “In a town of this size, there are a certain number (of assaults) that you would expect.”

It is not required for the patient to press charges against the assailant in order to receive an exam. SANE nurses will also collect evidence, check for injuries and treat them, take a photo of bruises, and offer emergency contraception.

“Sexual assault nurses are specially trained in collecting evidence. There's a much higher conviction rate,” said Roop.

The staff with SANE at CGH has teamed with the Albuquerque SANE unit to receive their training.

“The SANE unit is huge in Albuquerque. They have 23 nurses,” Roop said.

Locally, SANE is also teamed with Roberta's Place and Victims' Needs Crystallized.

Gallup does not have a SANE unit, Roop reported. The next closest unit is in Albuquerque and then Farmington.

April has been designated “Sexual Assault Awareness Month.” The theme of this year's SAAM is Prevent Sexual Violence, including in the workplaces, and the slogan is, “Respect Works!”

For more information about SANE call Cibola General Hospital at 287-4446.

For information on Sexual Assault Awareness Month, go to http://www. nsvrc.org/saam/

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