The Wisconsin Department of Health Services (DHS) reports that about 1.2 million Wisconsin adults have experienced sexual violence in their lifetime—that’s about one out of three adult women and almost one out of every five adult men.
 
The experience of sexual assault is deeply devastating for patients and their loved ones. To help begin the healing process, the nurses of the Aspirus Sexual Assault Nurse Examiner (SANE) Program provide compassionate care and treatment to patients who have been assaulted.
 
In 2023, Aspirus Health expanded local access by adding SANE programs at Aspirus Medford Hospital and Aspirus Rhinelander Hospital.
 
“We have a team of nurses with specialized training to perform medical and forensic examination for adolescents and adults who have been sexually assaulted or strangled,” says Registered Nurse and SANE Coordinator with Aspirus Health Amy Riegert.
 
SANE exams can be done up to 120 hours, or five days, after an assault. When patients report to an Aspirus ED where services are available, they are brought to a dedicated safe and private environment where the exam will take place.
 
“Our exams encompass trauma-informed care as these patients have been through traumatic events and we give them their autonomy back during this exam and allow them the opportunity to make choices for themselves,” says Vice President and Chief Nursing Officer for the Aspirus Northwest WI Division Jessica Faude, RN-BC.
 
In total staff at seven Aspirus facilities have completed the necessary training to offer SANE in their Emergency Departments.  
 
“We are proud to add this important program to our facilities which excel in providing highly specialized clinical care in concert with the compassion needed under difficult circumstances,” said Aspirus North WI Division President Teri Theiler.