Mission and Goals

Mission:
The Indiana SANE Training Project provides advanced nursing educational opportunities, mentoring and support for Registered Nurses and Advanced Practice Registered Nurses to become trained, clinically competent and certified as Sexual Assault Nurse Examiners through recruitment and retention efforts, collaboration and data evaluation to improve the outcomes, trauma-informed care and healing to survivors of sexual violence and abuse.   

Goals:

• To increase access to evidence-based training of SANEs and forensic nurses working in rural and/or underserved communities to ensure competence in the care of survivors of sexual assault. 
• To support the professional development of SANEs and forensic nurses working in Indiana, especially those in rural or underserved communities. 
• To improve the collection and analysis of data related to SANE programming to guide future programmatic decisions and placement of victim services and resources. 

Testimonials:

Community Hospital, Anderson
Child sexual abuse is at an all-time high in lndiana. Consequently the demand for clinically-prepared pediatric sexual assault nurse examiners (SANEs) is also at an all-time high. Yet sadly, there is a distinct shortage of these specially trained registered nurses that are available to meet the ever present needs of this specific population of prepubescent children. Until recently the lndiana SANE Training Project had focused primarily on the various aspects of preparing SANEs to serve adult and adolescent sexually assaulted patients. However, in October of 2020, the project expanded, piloting a unique two-day pediatric clinical intensive program that proved to be a huge success. This was offered to SANEs who had completed their pediatric classroom training but were struggling to find a venue in order to complete a portion of the essential hands-on training. The inaugural course was met with overwhelming rave reviews from the SANE students who attended, and the eight instructors, during their debriefing, agreed the course met the course objectives and exceeded the IAFN requirements, the course offered many interactive, hands-on, critical thinking opportunities for the SANE students and the student to instructor ratio provided an optimal atmosphere for mentoring and promoting the spirit of collegiality.

– Holly Renz, RN, SANE-A, SANE-P

Deaconess Hospital, Evansville
The Indiana SANE Training Project, funded by the HRSA grant, has had a tremendous impact on our SANE program in southern Indiana. I work for Deaconess Health System as the SANE Coordinator and have used the funding from the SANE Training project on numerous occasions. Our program has been able to send four of our nurses each year for the past three years to the didactic SANE training held at the University of Southern Indiana. This has helped to improve our SANE coverage to become 24/7 in an effort to serve our community at any time or day. We were also able to send nurses to the combined adult/adolescent and pediatric SANE training last year to increase our pediatric coverage which is difficult to find training for. Those same nurses were then able to attend a pediatric intensive held in Terre Haute to gain experience and knowledge specific to the pediatric population. The case studies and hands-on experience were invaluable to gaining the skills needed to care for this unique population. Our area does not see enough pediatric patients to adequately allow all of the newly trained SANEs an opportunity to gain hands-on experience, so this training was able to supplement that experience.

– Jessica Cannon, MSN, RN, SANE-A, SANE-P

Memorial Hospital and Health Care Center, Jasper
The Indiana SANE Training Project has assisted in the growth and development of our adult/adolescent and pediatric SANE program at Memorial Hospital and Health Care Center (MHHCC) over the last two years. Our hospital has gone from only having a few SANE trained nurses with no organized program to creating a sexual assault response team, 24/7 on-call adult/adolescent SANE trained nurse, and most recently we have begun our pediatric SANE program. The Indiana SANE Training Project has assisted with both didactic education and clinical trainings for pediatric and adult/adolescent populations. MHHCC's SANE program has been a huge benefit for the victims in our community. Since we are a rural hospital, our victims previously had to travel over an hour away to be examined by a SANE trained nurse. This is one less burden our victims and their families have to bear.

– Michele Messmann, MSN, RN, CEN

Reid Health, Richmond
I would like to say how very much I appreciate the opportunities for additional training in SANE via Conferences through the Indiana SANE Training Project. As I work at a hospital that is struggling to get a solid SANE program up and running it is easy to become discouraged and want to throw in the towel. The Indiana SANE Project has provided me with the opportunity to attend conferences which provided updated and ongoing education as well as beneficial networking opportunities for continued support and problem solving. The staff at the Indiana SANE Training Project has been a vast sea of information and support as well. They have been available both day and night to guide and provide encouragement. They have also volunteered to come to our facility and assist with chart review and staff encouragement/support. This support and continued education has benefitted patients by keeping me encouraged and compassionate as well as up to date with processes. The nearest SANE trained facility from ours is about an hour away. Hence, it is extremely important that we have this program at Reid Health - Richmond and thus, is a great benefit to our community, especially considering the fact that we have four colleges within a five mile radius from our facility. I cannot express how truly grateful I am to have this wonderful resource to support and assist us with providing quality care to our patients and surrounding community.

– Shana Evans, RN

Union Hospital, Terre Haute
Our SANE program at Union Hospital began with a VHS tape during hospital ER orientation. Because of the Indiana SANE Training Project, we are now 12 SANEs strong, and four are working to finish pediatric SANE training. The project has provided scholarships to better prepare and guide us to become specially-trained forensic nurses who provide 24-hour care to our patients. In addition, they have prepared us for court by providing courtroom testimony training. We, as a community, have come together to provide comprehensive care to sexual assault survivors. We've learned to holistically care for our patients while providing medical treatment as well as psychological follow up. We are better prepared and proud of our program. The Indiana SANE Training Project watched us grow, prepared us and guided us. We sincerely appreciate them and are so grateful.

– Celinda Fulling, RN