Sexual assault nurse examiners, or SANEs, are nurses trained specifically to treat sexual assault survivors. SANEs help minimize trauma to survivors and are trained to collect evidence for police. A September 5, 2013 report by the Criminal Justice Analysis Center in North Carolina found that SANE nurses led to higher rates of treatment, evidence collection, and reporting to law enforcement by survivors. Less than 800 hospitals employ SANEs, according to the International Association of Forensic Nurses. That's only 13% of our hospitals.
Survivors often face a choice between traveling a far distance for treatment and being treated by an under-trained nurse. All hospitals should be required to have at least one SANE on staff 24/7 in order to provide survivors with immediate, quality care.