Sexual Assault Nurse Examiner (SANE)
Program Mission and Vision
A Sexual Assault Nurse Examiner (SANE) is a Registered Nurse who has been specially trained to provide immediate, compassionate, and comprehensive care to sexual assault victims, including forensic collection of evidence.
South Dakota, like much of the country, suffers from a lack of trained SANEs. The mission of the SANE Program is to coordinate the resources and provide support for healthcare professionals across the state in order to improve the access and delivery of services to all victims of sexual assault.
The Mission of the program is to:
- Provide immediate, compassionate, culturally sensitive, and comprehensive forensic evaluation and treatment by trained, professional medical experts.
- Deliver timely medical/forensic examination with more complete evidence collection.
- Avoid further trauma to all sexual assault survivors in the health care environment.
- Maximize the probability of collecting and preserving the physical evidence of an assault for potential use in the legal system.
- Provide referral for follow-up care and counseling.
- Provide courtroom testimony as needed.
This will be done by:
- Maintaining a state-wide roster of SANE-trained and SANE-certified healthcare professionals to ensure service capacity across rural SD counties.
- Providing support to healthcare professionals interested and willing to become SANE-trained or SANE-certified by holding quarterly workshops.
- Fostering a peer-led SANE Learning Collaborative.
- Identifying and partnering with the existing networks of sexual assault response
- Partnering with local universities to integrate SANE education into the nursing curriculum.
Join the SAFE/SANE Learning Collaborative
The SANE Learning Collaborative is intended for healthcare professionals interested in learning more about forensic nursing. Being a member of the listserve will allow you to ask questions, access on-line resources, and participate in the SANE Learning Collaborative meetings. You will also be notified of the quarterly SANE-A or SANE-P training in our state.
SANE Resources & Forms
National SANE Resources
- Tribal Forensic Healthcare
- IAFN
- Forensic Healthcare Online
- National Protocol for Sexual Abuse Medical Forensic Exams– Pediatric
- National Best Practices for Sexual Assault Kits – A Multidisciplinary Approach
- Strangulation Toolkit
- Office for Victims of Crime – Training & Technical Assistance (includes SANE Development guide, videos, etc.)
- SANE Program Development and Operation Guide
- SANE 365
South Dakota SANE Resources
South Dakota’s Domestic Violence Coalition
The South Dakota Network Against Family Violence and Sexual Assault
South Dakota Legislature
Laws – tribal, federal and state
- http://sdlegislature.gov/Statutes/Codified_Laws/default.aspx
- https://www.justice.gov/usao-sd/indian-country
- https://www.senate.gov/reference/reference_index_subjects/Laws_and_Regulations_vrd.htm
Victims Crime Compensation link
SANE Forms
- BALD STEP – Documentation and Assessment
- Demeanor Documenting Information Sheet
Who do I contact with questions?
Questions related to the SANE Program should be directed to:
Questions regarding the testing of the evidence collected should be directed to:
South Dakota Forensic Laboratory
Phone: 605-773-3673
To request adult or pediatric kits or to provide comments related to kits, please contact:
South Dakota Department of Health
Phone: 605-773-3361
Website: https://doh.sd.gov/prevention/Rape-Prevention/Collection-Kits.aspx
Email: [email protected]
Questions specific to evidence collection procedures for pediatric victims only can be directed to following number on a 24/7 basis:
Child’s Voice, Sanford Health
Phone: 1-800-341-4320 (no outside public or lay person access)
This project is supported by Grant Number 2018-WR-AX-0014 awarded by the Office of Violence Against Women, U.S. Department of Justice. Its content is solely the responsibility of the authors and do not necessarily represent the official views of the U.S. Department of Justice.