Alison Lopez and Jacqui Callari Robinson from the School of Nursing’s Sexual Assault Nurse Examiner (SANE) program, were interviewed in a podcast episode for Pulse Check Wisconsin. This interview was dedicated to the memory of Sade Robinson.
New university program for training sexual assault nurse examiners
By Royce Podeszwa
Wisconsin Public Radio
May 10, 2023
Wisconsin has fewer than 50 people certified as sexual assault nurse examiners by the International Association of Forensic Nurses. We talk with the creators of a new training program at UW-Milwaukee about efforts to address shortages and burnout of forensic nurses.
UWM sexual assault nurse training addresses need: ‘Shortage is here’
Fox 6
By Madalyn O’Neill
April 22, 2023
MILWAUKEE – The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said sexual assault impacts more than half of all women and nearly one third of all men.
There’s also a shortage of nurses specially trained to respond. That’s a big reason why the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee launched a new program Saturday, April 22 – giving nurses specialized training to help patients who have experienced sexual assault.
“We believe that all nurses should be trained in trauma-informed care,” said Jacqueline Callari Robinson, a UWM doctoral student and project research assistant.
If there is one thing many nurses have in common, it’s that they care. But not all nurses have specialized training in offering certain types of care.
UWM addresses shortage of sexual assault nurse examiners
CBS 58
Link to article
April 21, 2023
MILWAUKEE (CBS 58) — The University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee College of Nursing is set to launch a program on Saturday, April 22 aimed at training and retaining sexual assault nurse examiners in Wisconsin, where there is a notable shortage.
Funded by a U.S. Department of Health and Human Services grant, the program will train nurses to assist victims of sexual assault, incest or abuse.
Penninah Kako, project director and principal investigator for the UWM project, mentioned in a Thursday, April 20 press release the importance of culturally responsive care, as Black and Indigenous women, as well as LGBTQIA+ individuals, experience sexual assault at disproportionately higher rates.
According to UWM, there are fewer than 100 sexual assault nurse examiners in Wisconsin, with only a small percentage certified by the International Association of Forensic Nurses and coming from marginalized populations.
The UWM program was developed with the help of three practicing sexual assault nurse examiners to ensure trauma-informed, culturally relevant care. Partnerships with organizations in urban and rural Wisconsin aim to address the needs of marginalized communities.
The program will consist of 12 online modules, including a day of clinical lab experiences at UWM’s nursing simulation centers. The goal is to prepare 10 nurses in the first year, expanding to 40 nurses by the end of the second year.
UWM begins training program to help alleviate shortage of sexual assault nurse examiners
Reporter: Kathy Quirk
UWM Report
April 21, 2023
UWM’s College of Nursing is working to increase the number of sexual assault nurse examiners, which are in short supply both in Wisconsin and nationwide.
The effort will be via a new program, launching April 22, funded by a grant from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.
A sexual assault nurse examiner (SANE) nurse is a registered nurse with specialized training and education to work with patients who have experienced sexual assault, abuse or incest.
These nurses receive specialized training in forensics because of legal issues involved, according to Penninah Kako, associate professor of nursing, project director and principal investigator for the project. In addition to increasing the number of certified nurse examiners, the UWM project is focused on preparing nurses in culturally responsive care.
“Unfortunately, Black and Indigenous women suffer the most,” Kako said. LGBTQIA+ people are also among those who are also marginalized, she added. Black and American Indian women and LGBTQIA+ people experience sexual assault at disproportionately higher rates compared to their white, cisgender or heterosexual counterparts, according to Kako.
Violence Against Women Resources
UW-Milwaukee nursing faculty, staff and students are actively collaborating with many organizations in Milwaukee to address access to resources and disparities related to violence against Black and Brown women. In the last year, Milwaukee has witnessed an extreme increase of domestic abuse and violence since the start of 2022. Through our national funding, we have formalized our efforts through the Tracking the Truth and Sister by Choice: United by Voice grants which support collaborations, forensic care and resources to women in our community.
If you would like to get involved or need access to resources, consider one of our Milwaukee partner agencies that support survivors of domestic abuse are:
- ASHA Project
3719 W. Center Street
Milwaukee WI 53210
414-252-0075 - Gerald L. Ignace Indian Health Center
930 W. Historic Mitchelle St
Milwaukee, WI 53204
414-383-9526 - HIR Wellness
3136 W. Kilbourn Ave
Milwaukee, WI 53208
414-763-5815 - Milwaukee Muslim Women’s Coalition | (Our Peaceful Home)
5235 S. 27th Street
Greenfield, WI 53221
Crisis Line for Our Peaceful Home: 414-727-1090 - Sojourner Family Peace Center
619 W. Walnut Street
Milwaukee, WI 53212
Crisis Line: 414-933-2722
It is our hope through partnerships such as ours that we gain public support, increased advocacy and provide access to the women in our families and communities.
Orginal article located at: https://uwm.edu/nursing/violence-against-women-resources/