Last Fall's Task Force to Stop Sexual Violence

Last Fall’s Task Force to Stop Sexual Violence

Last fall a legislative “Task Force to Stop Sexual Violence” met to consider how to reduce violence against women. The Task Force was chaired by Rep. Pam Peterson, a member of the Oklahoma Commission on the Status of Women. Below are some of the ideas and recommendations that came out of that study.

Funding is needed to provide uniform services to sexual violence victims across the state including: (1) a safe place for a physical exam; (2) a SANE (Sexual Assault Nurse Examiner) nurse; (3) an advocate to help them through the process; (4) education for police and community officials that such services exist, so those organizations can refer victims to services; (5) recognition of the difference in counseling needs for domestic violence and sexual violence victims.

It would be helpful to have statewide standards for SANE nurse training. In order to encourage hospitals to participate in SANE programs, and to allow nurses to be trained as SANE nurses, these provisions could be included in the requirements for hospital certification.

The State might provide funding for each certified service provider to have access to a SANE nurse and appropriate equipment, examination room, etc.

Oklahoma needs a state coordinator for the recruiting, education, disbursement of SANE nurses and some sort of state authority for certification process. Perhaps this should be within the Oklahoma Nurses Association.

The compensation for SANE nurses might need to be increased. Oklahoma needs a consistent payment mechanism and a way for SANE nurses to get paid for on-call status.

SANE programs might be coordinated through county health departments by allowing SANE nurses to volunteer through county health departments. County health departments may have resources such as specialized equipment not used by hospitals, as well as administrative and training resources.

It would be good if there was funding or incentives for specialized SANE examination instruments and equipment to be located in each county, where it is currently lacking, and train nurses in the use of the equipment.

Hospitals might be encouraged to institute credential programs, allowing on call community-based SANE nurses to perform exams in the hospital as necessary.

A statewide SANE coordinating office should include funding for dedicated coordination (scheduling, protocol), didactic training (coursework); clinical training; peer review. This office could require a SANE nurse in every county, credentialed in the area hospitals.

Hospitals can be encouraged to support SANE programs, training, access, exams and equipment access through legislation tying medical participation to Medicare/Medicaid state funding. A Texas statute requires hospitals to provide services to sexual assault patients or transfer them to institutions with those services.

Oklahoma would benefit by expanded training for first responding officers in talking to victims, particularly training which puts the officer in the victim’s shoes. Some training is already available through the Police Academy.

More funding is needed to allow DNA testing for all convicted felons, not just sex offenders, to go into the state and nationwide DNA data banks.

More funding is also needed for DNA laboratories statewide, to reduce the backlog of cases and allow them to more quickly process DNA evidence.

As a way to reduce sexual violence, the Task Force recommended education in healthy relationships for boys and girls beginning in middle school through college. We also recommended community education in recognizing, confronting and stopping sexual violence in communities.