Office for Victims of Crime Releases Updated SANE Guide

WASHINGTON, Sept. 8, 2016 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The U.S. Department of Justice's Office for Victims of Crime (OVC) has released an updated Sexual Assault Nurse Examiner (SANE) Development and Operation Guide, which serves as both a framework for communities wishing to start SANE programs, and as a resource for communities with existing programs.

SANEs—registered nurses with specialized training to provide comprehensive health care, including forensic medical exams, to survivors of sexual assault—evaluate and treat patients with holistic care that recognizes both the acute and long-term consequences of sexual violence victimization.

"Providing sensitive and evidence­informed health care to victims is critically important in the wake of a sexual assault," said OVC Director Joye Frost.  "We hope that communities nationwide find OVC's updated SANE Development and Operation Guide to be valuable in launching SANE programs, and strengthening established programs that provide essential help for survivors of sexual violence and trauma."

The Guide serves as a practical, research-based, trauma-informed tool for nurses, physicians, medical directors, victim advocates, prosecutors, and other community leaders.  This version of the Guide updates the original publication, supported through an OVC grant and released in 1999, which provided a blueprint for hundreds of communities to develop local SANE programs.  OVC, in collaboration with federal partners, the International Association of Forensic Nurses, and a diverse group of experts in the field, has enhanced the original publication to include advances in forensic nursing practice, forensic science, and criminal justice.  

The Guide provides a step-by-step outline of SANE practices, from the building blocks of program development to critical facets of SANE operations, including the legal and ethical underpinnings of SANE policies and procedures.  The Guide then offers advice on developing a multidisciplinary team approach and expanding programs to provide care to other patients who are victims of violence or other types of trauma.

The multipurpose Guide both complements and integrates existing resources, and provides links to specialized resources for specific victim groups.  It also provides a list of videos featuring experts in the field who provide further insights into the value of SANE programs.

About the Office of Justice Programs (OJP)
OJP, headed by Assistant Attorney General Karol V. Mason, provides federal leadership in developing the nation's capacity to prevent and control crime, administer justice and assist victims.  OJP has six components: the Bureau of Justice Assistance; the Bureau of Justice Statistics; the National Institute of Justice; the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention; the Office for Victims of Crime and the Office of Sex Offender Sentencing, Monitoring, Apprehending, Registering and Tracking. More information about OJP can be found at www.ojp.gov.

SOURCE Department of Justice, Office of Justice Programs

Related Links

http://www.ojp.usdoj.gov