April marks Sexual Assault Awareness month, and an opportunity to discuss a serious, sometimes overlooked issue which deeply affects our community. This annual period of awareness and advocacy was established 24 years ago by the National Sexual Violence Resource Center to bring awareness to ways we can prevent sexual violence and better advocate for those who are affected by sexual assault.
In our community TMC offers a safe place for any person affected by sexual violence to receive the care they need, whether medical treatment, behavioral health support, or forensic support. TMC is a safe place where survivors are believed and connected to a range of resources as they heal from violence. Unfortunately, we tend to see an increase in the number of incidences in late Winter, the most common of which involve individuals being drugged at bars or restaurants. These incidents seem to increase across the entire population of Telluride and are not specific to an age group or demographic. When someone suspects they may have been drugged or has been a victim of sexual violence, TMC is here to support them as they pursue legal justice and heal.
One of the ways that we support survivors is by offering SANE (Sexual Assault Nurse Examiner) services. These services offer forensic examination for anyone who suspects they may have been a victim of sexual violence. During the exam evidence is collected, and this service is available even if someone chooses not to press charges or move forward with an investigation. This evidence is then available if an individual decides to press charges long after an assault. Says Emily McGough, FNP “This confidential service is available to anyone who has encountered sexual violence or suspect they have been drugged or overserved and allows for evidence to be collected with care and compassion. These services are available even if someone decides they don’t want to press charges or even have their name attached to the evidence which is collected, which allows for flexibility and time in deciding whether to pursue future legal action.”
Currently TMC has one provider offering these services, Emily McGough, who is also a full time Nurse Practitioner. This means that when she is not available due to clinic duties or travel, those who have experienced sexual violence need to travel to Montrose for this essential service, which is more accurate when performed shortly after an incident occurs. Our goal is to expand this program and train additional nursing staff to be able to perform SANE exams, which would allow for us to provide year-round access to exams within 24 hours of an Incident of sexual violence, as well as ensuring that our SANE providers can maintain their specialized certification with ongoing training. Due to the often-transient nature of Telluride’s community, including medical staff we plan to expand the program to offer ongoing training as members of the team come and go from the area.
SANE exams are a coordinated effort with law enforcement, and recent collaborative training has ensured that our local law enforcement agencies understand the value of this service for survivors and within the legal process, along with ensuring that the right parties are notified in order to expediently and confidentially set up an exam. Another organization we partner closely with is the San Miguel Resource Center (SMRC), which connects those who have experienced sexual violence to services such as advocacy, legal support, counseling, emergency safe housing, and maintains a 24-hour crisis hotline for those who have experienced sexual violence or domestic abuse (1-844-816-3915).
Lisa Wilson, one of our Patient Relations staff shares,
“Having experienced SANE nurses who can deliver trauma-informed care and resources to victims of sexual violence is critical for the well-being of the victim as well as to maintain the integrity of evidence should the victim want to move forward with a criminal investigation.
I cannot overstate the importance of having qualified SANE nurses available in our community. If we don’t have this service at the medical center then victims are forced to go to Montrose to undergo an exam and that is a major barrier in an already traumatic situation. Because of the personal nature of this crime, we know that it is the most underreported crime with 63% of sexual assaults never being reported to the police. Without SANE, that number increases. (Source: National Sexual Violence Resource Center)”
We also partner with UC Health which provides state of the art equipment, mentorship and support for providers performing these exams, ensuring that we can provide state of the art service, even when a single provider may perform exams infrequently.
