Sexual Assault and Telehealth in Colorado: SANEs supporting SANEs
Sexual Assault and Telehealth in Colorado: SANEs supporting SANEs
Presented By: Bethany Copper, MSN, RN, SANE-A, SANE-P, SANE Instructor, Colorado SANE/SAFE Project and Amanda Van Nest, BSN, RN, SANE-A, SANE-P, Telehealth Instructor, Colorado SANE/SAFE Project
Seeking medical care as a sexual assault survivor can be difficult for a variety of reasons. The geographical layout of Colorado and the fact that trained Sexual Assault Nurse Examiners (SANEs) are hard to come by can create barriers to survivors getting the care they need. Additionally, having trained SANEs is only half the battle. Some rural on-call SANE programs may only see a few patients each month, and many of their SANEs can go several months in between each exam. As a result, it can be challenging for these providers to offer a comprehensive medical forensic exam that patients desperately need.
The Colorado SANE/SAFE Project’s (COSSP) mission is to provide statewide education, technical assistance, and support to all sexual assault programs throughout Colorado. Together with the Sexual Assault Response Project (SARP), telehealth is one way to offer support from experienced SANEs to SANEs at remote sites in real-time during the medical forensic exam. This helps to provide better care for patients and increased confidence and job satisfaction for the SANEs performing the exams.
During this webinar, participants will learn how the telehealth program has been developed and implemented thus far in Colorado, the current status of the project, and a look into the future of telehealth and SANE support in Colorado.