Play Live Radio
Next Up:
0:00
0:00
0:00 0:00
Available On Air Stations

Owensboro Health Regional Hospital Designated A Sexual Assault Care Ready Facility

Owensboro Health

Owensboro Health Regional Hospital is now one of just ten Sexual Assault Nurse Examiner-Ready--or “SANE”--facilities in the state.

The SANE certification was created by the state legislature and signed into law in 2016. The 100-hour training program is available to registered nurses in the state.

Caroline Henderson is the director of the Emergency Department at Owensboro Health. She said the training makes nurses more qualified to care for victims of sexual assault. Henderson said it also educates the nurses about how to properly handle evidence that is often used in court.

 

“It’s important for us to make sure the victim and the person that might be accused of a rape to make sure that everything was handled the right way,” she said.

 

Henderson said Owensboro Health Regional Hospital now has seven SANE certified nurses. She said the designation has given those nurses a sense of pride because they can offer better care to sexual assault victims.

Megan Moore is a SANE certified nurse at Owensboro Health. She said before her training she wasn’t aware of how prevalent sexual assault was in the region, or how underreported it is.

“Hopefully that will help victims feel more comfortable coming forward and seeking immediate care when something terrible like this happens to them,” she said.

 

Moore said the training has allowed her to provide better care to victims of sexual assault. The SANE training includes education from law enforcement, the county attorney, and sexual assault support services.

 

Related Content