By ESTHER K. SMITH
News staff writer
September 5, 2007
For the past few years, a couple of ER nurses
at Providence Hood River Memorial Hospital have been doing their
part to help victims of sexual assault.
Lori White and Deb Barber, both registered
nurses at PHRMH, are certified Sexual Assault Nurse Examiners,
which means they evaluate, treat, and collect evidence from
victims of rape who visit the emergency room.
“We make sure the chain of evidence is
maintained,” Barber said. “We collect physical evidence and turn
it over to the police department, and they send it to the crime
lab.”
“If there are any injuries, we take
pictures,” White added.
Sexual Assault Nurse Examiners are part of
the Attorney General’s Sexual Assault Task Force, which began in
1999 and has gained strength since then with creation of Sexual
Assault Response Teams in many counties. The local team formed
in May 2007.
Many people are not even aware of the need
for such specialized nurses. White said, “There’s a need for it
in the community, that’s for sure.”
White and Barber said there is an abundance
of unreported cases of sexual assault all across the state,
involving victims of all ages; most often people with
developmental or physical disabilities or mental illness, those
who are poor, institutionalized or on the fringes of crime; the
elderly, children and adolescents, or people who are alcohol- or
drug-impaired.
“These people are believed the least, lack
credibility or are met with the most skepticism,” Barber said.
The grant-funded training, which was offered
to nurses in 2003 by the Attorney General’s Sexual Assault Task
Force, consisted of 40 hours of theory (classroom) work and
another 40 hours in the field.
Field work included hours of sitting in court
observing cases; doing pelvic exams on paid volunteers; visiting
with the district attorney and spending time with victims
advocate Gloria Needham; and riding along with police officers.
“We have a special cart down in the ER with a
rape kit and other tools,” Barber said. However, the nurses said
they still require some specialized equipment.
“There is one thing we are lacking, and that
is a digital camera and printer,” White said. “Right now we just
have a Polaroid.”
Currently the two nurses are not certified to
examine children, although White will be addressing that
situation in October when she will travel to Bend to get
training in pediatric interviewing and evidence collecting that
is being offered by the Attorney General’s Sexual Assault Task
Force.
When a victim of sexual assault comes to a
medical facility, sexual assault nurse examiners first introduce
themselves then explain their role and what they can do for the
victim and list her (or his — the crime affects both genders)
options. They call an interpreter, if needed.
The victim will need to sign consent forms
for the exam, release of evidence, pictures, release of medical
records, and lab tests; and then provide the necessary health
history and history of the assault.
The nurses need to assess if drugs were used
to facilitate the rape and, if so, obtain first voided urine for
a drug screen. They also need to assess the risk of pregnancy
and sexually transmitted diseases, and provide treatment, if
wanted.
Sometimes victims are reluctant to report the
crime, for a host of reasons, but if there is bruising or other
indications of assault, the nurses, as medical personnel, are
mandated by law to report it to the police.
“If the injuries don’t fit the description,
our obligation is to report it and the law enforcement comes in
and does the report,” White said. “She doesn’t have to report it
if she doesn’t want to.”
Occasionally the nurses are called upon to
testify when cases go to court.
“I was involved in the case of a 16-year-old
that was raped by three individuals,” White said. “It doesn’t
bother me to be on the witness stand — I feel good about what I
do.”
Barber said that the public needs to be aware
that there are many myths out there about sexual assault.
“Sexual assault doesn’t happen naturally,”
she said. “Many people believe that it is just a natural
consequence of some of the behaviors that often go along with it
— like drinking until they pass out. There’s no excuse for it.”
