Comments Document

Thank you, Delegate Watts and members of the committee for taking the time to consider how to improve access to specialized health care for survivors of sexual assault. As you may be aware, RAINN is the nation’s largest anti-sexual assault organization. Founded in 1994, RAINN created and operates the National Sexual Assault Hotline (800.656.HOPE and hotline.rainn.org). RAINN also carries out programs to support victims, educate the public, and improve public policy. Virginia faces a challenge: how to collect evidence of a sexual assault when there are not enough trained nurses to come to every survivor. Sexual Assault Nurse Examiner (SANEs) undergo specialized training in the collection of forensic evidence, which has been shown to improve successful outcomes in sexual assault prosecutions. Further, trained SANEs provide trauma-informed support to victims during the invasive, often hours-long, forensic examination. These specialized nurses greatly influence the justice process for survivors of sexual assault and provide sensitive medical care in a moment of crisis for their patients. There are simply not enough Sexual Assault Nurse Examiners in the state. This means not just that survivors of sexual assault who want medical care have to wait for a SANE to become available, it also means that the SANEs themselves are working tremendous hours and for court are having to drive hours to reach all the places that need their services (mileage they often have to cover themselves). We applaud the efforts undertaken by Virginia to support survivors of sexual violence. In fact, under § 32.1-162.15:3 Virginia requires all hospitals to provide rape victims with forensic medical treatment or transfer to a facility capable of such treatment when they present for a sexual assault examination. This means each of the more than 150 hospitals in the commonwealth should have access to a trained SANE. However, not every facility has a SANE on staff. In 2019, the legislature’s Joint Commission on Healthcare released a study that showed only 200 trained SANEs in Virginia out of 93,902 licensed registered nurses. With such a shortage of trained SANEs, a solution is needed to ensure survivors in rural and underserved areas can access the care they need. HB2088 creates an option so that in facilities where a SANE cannot be present, medical professionals can access knowledgeable SANEs through telecommunications who can guide them through these difficult, often hours-long examinations. The bill also ensures that the court will accept evidence collected through these telemedicine exams. The same Commission study recommended establishing training standards for SANEs in Virginia. This is accomplished in HB 2088 by establishing the Virginia Forensic Nursing Advisory Council. Furthermore, this bill will help address the costs posed by travel for SANEs. HB 2088 ensures that thousands of victims of sexual assault get the medical assistance they need while providing law enforcement with evidence to resolve investigations. This bill would expand access to forensic medical exams and accomplish recommendations made by the Joint Commission on Healthcare. We ask for your support in favor of this legislation. Thank you for your continued leadership and for supporting victims of sexual violence in Virginia. If we can provide insight or offer resources, please let us know.

Comments Document

Thank you, Delegate Sickles and members of the committee for taking the time to consider how to improve access to specialized health care for survivors of sexual assault. As you may be aware, RAINN is the nation’s largest anti-sexual assault organization. Founded in 1994, RAINN created and operates the National Sexual Assault Hotline (800.656.HOPE and hotline.rainn.org). RAINN also carries out programs to support victims, educate the public, and improve public policy. Virginia faces a challenge: how to collect evidence of a sexual assault when there are not enough trained nurses to come to every survivor. Sexual Assault Nurse Examiner (SANEs) undergo specialized training in the collection of forensic evidence, which has been shown to improve successful outcomes in sexual assault prosecutions. Further, trained SANEs provide trauma-informed support to victims during the invasive, often hours-long, forensic examination. These specialized nurses greatly influence the justice process for survivors of sexual assault and provide sensitive medical care in a moment of crisis for their patients. There are simply not enough Sexual Assault Nurse Examiners in the state. This means not just that survivors of sexual assault who want medical care have to wait for a SANE to become available, it also means that the SANEs themselves are working tremendous hours and for court are having to drive hours to reach all the places that need their services (mileage they often have to cover themselves). We applaud the efforts undertaken by Virginia to support survivors of sexual violence. In fact, under § 32.1-162.15:3 Virginia requires all hospitals to provide rape victims with forensic medical treatment or transfer to a facility capable of such treatment when they present for a sexual assault examination. This means each of the more than 150 hospitals in the commonwealth should have access to a trained SANE. However, not every facility has a SANE on staff. In 2019, the legislature’s Joint Commission on Healthcare released a study that showed only 200 trained SANEs in Virginia out of 93,902 licensed registered nurses. With such a shortage of trained SANEs, a solution is needed to ensure survivors in rural and underserved areas can access the care they need. HB2088 creates an option so that in facilities where a SANE cannot be present, medical professionals can access knowledgeable SANEs through telecommunications who can guide them through these difficult, often hours-long examinations. The bill also ensures that the court will accept evidence collected through these telemedicine exams. The same Commission study recommended establishing training standards for SANEs in Virginia. This is accomplished in HB 2088 by establishing the Virginia Forensic Nursing Advisory Council. Furthermore, this bill will help address the costs posed by travel for SANEs. HB 2088 ensures that thousands of victims of sexual assault get the medical assistance they need while providing law enforcement with evidence to resolve investigations. This bill would expand access to forensic medical exams and accomplish recommendations made by the Joint Commission on Healthcare. We ask for your support in favor of this legislation. Thank you for your continued leadership and for supporting victims of sexual violence in Virginia. If we can provide insight or offer resources, please let us know.