Counseling & Career Development Center

Sexual Assault Response Team (SART)

The Sexual Assault Response Team (SART) oversees the Universities policies, and efforts toward sexual assault Response and Prevention. This team is chaired by a member of the Counseling Center professional staff, and is comprised of representatives of several campus offices/departments. These include:

Academic Affairs
Athletic Services
Coordinated Ministries
Counseling and Career Development Center
Greek Life
Health Services
Judicial Affairs
Public Safety
School of Nursing
Student Disability Resource Center
University Housing
Women's and Gender Studies Program

For more information about SART, contact Dr. Jodi Caldwell (912) 478-5541

In addition, SART sponsors a student organization, Sexual Assault Prevention Advocates (SAPA), that provides training and education to campus and community groups about sexual assault.

Sexual Assault Prevention Advocates (SAPA)

SAPA is a program developed by students at Georgia Southern to promote discussion among their peers regarding the issue of sexual violence. The main focus of these discussions is to increase awareness and sensitivity regarding sexual assault, improve communication between women and men around sexual issues, to educate students about sexual assault risk factors, and to reduce the incidence of sexual violence. If you are a student interested in joining this organization, or you would like to have SAPA make a presentation for your group, or you would just like more information, please contact Dr. Toby Lovell at 478-5541. Visit SAPA's web site!

Sexual Assault Nurse Examiner (SANE)

Sexual Assault Nurse Examiners (SANEs) are specially trained registered nurses, who are on call to specified emergency departments, medical clinics, community agencies, or independent SANE facilities. SANEs typically work as a part of a Sexual Assault Response Teams (SART). The team, which can vary greatly in makeup and which coordinates its activities in a variety of ways, is usually composed of the rape crisis advocate, law enforcement, prosecutors and the SANE. The police or medical facility pages the SANE whenever a sexual assault or attempted sexual assault victim reports to the police or comes to the medical facility within 72 hours.

The SANE will likely be on call to a hospital, a clinic or a free standing facility. When the victim arrives reporting a rape or attempted rape, the SANE will be paged by the hospital triage staff and come in to complete and medical examination of the rape victim. The usual response is one hour.

This examination typical has five essential components. These include: 1) documentation and care of injuries; 2) collection of medical and legal data; 3) evaluation of risk and prophylactic treatment of sexually transmitted diseases/infections, 4) evaluation of risk and emergency; and 5) crisis intervention (Ledray, 1998).

Procedure for a Sexual Assault Examination

When the SANE arrives she will begin by completing a brief medical interview in order to determine where to examine the victim for evidence and potential injuries. She will then collect any clothing that may have potential evidence as well as complete the medical legal examination. If there was a vaginal assault she will complete a vaginal speculum examination and when a colposcope is available she will take pictures of genital injuries with a colposcope. The colposcope magnifies injuries for better visualization and documentation. Since this is a very expensive piece of equipment, not all SANE programs have it available at every examination site. Since it is a relatively large and fragile piece of equipment, SANE programs with multiple examination sites cannot transport one colposcope to other sites, but need a colposcope at each site. Good exams can be completed without a colposcope.

Once the medical legal evidentiary exam is completed, the SANE will refer the victim back to the Emergency Department medical staff for care if there are any injuries requiring treatment. If you examination is completed in a non-traditional hospital setting, you would then to transferred to the hospital emergency room. The medical treatment is always delayed when non-life threatening injuries have occurred so that evidence that may otherwise be lost can be collected first. IF there are no injuries requiring additional treatment, the client will be discharged by the SANE. When a police report has been made, the police may be called to provide her safe transportation home, to collect the evidence, or to complete their interview with the victim, if necessary. When an advocate is present in the emergency department (ED), in addition to providing crisis intervention, she will most likely assist with arranging transportation home for the victim, or finding safe housing. If the sexual assault victim desires to continue legal proceedings, against the assailant, the SANE nurse will be present in the courtroom to testify the evidence collected in the rape kit packet.

In 1972, the first SANE program was organized in Memphis, Tennessee. The state of Minnesota had their first SANE program one year later, 1977. The first SANE programs were developed by medical professionals as a result of this recognized need for better care for sexual assault victims in the emergency room.

Today, many states have the SANE program within the counties of that state. These SANE programs were developed within the medical setting to provide timely response by specially trained nurses with an expertise in forensic evidence collection.

Please don't hesitate to contact ElDonna Hilde, MSN, RNC, WHNP at Health Services for any information on this subject or if you are a sexual assault victim. (912) 478-5980 or 912) 486-7832).

CC Footer


Back to Top Home About Us Services Students Faculty/Staff Parents Self-Help Contact Us Resources

Counseling and Career Development Center Forest Drive Georgia Southern University Statesboro, GA 30460-8011 Phone: 912-478-5541 Fax: 912-478-0834		This site was last updated on 12/28/07. Please contact us with questions or comments.