Sexual assault and rape are under reported, and the definition of sexual assault varies across agencies. Sexual trauma can have harmful and lasting impact on the victims, families, and communities, including unintended pregnancy, sexually transmitted infections, and physical and psychological consequences.
In discussions with our community partners, we determined that there was a need for enhanced services for victims of sexual assault.  As a result, in 2016, our hospital Emergency Department (ED) expanded services to include the availability of comprehensive medical forensic exams for all sexual assault victims in Manitowoc County.  This service is available 24 hours a day, seven days a week and is provided by specially trained Sexual Assault Nurse Examiner (SANE).  The program consists of emotional support for the victim, a medical/forensic exam, forensic evidence collection, medications for prevention of sexually transmitted diseases including HIV, and forensic photo documentation in compliance with the “Federal Rules of Evidence”.  There is no cost to the patient for these services.
In 2017, to better respond to community needs, our program expanded even further to include all victims of multiple types of crimes, including child abuse, elder abuse, strangulation, domestic violence and physical assault.  Additionally, local services were enhanced to include services for pediatric patients and victims of domestic violence.  In 2019, we were able to create a private treatment suite adjacent to our ED. This area includes a private waiting room along with a private bathroom/shower and exam room for our patients.
In 2019 our SANE program served 31 patients.