August 26, 2024
MultiCare awarded $1.5M to expand support for sexual assault survivors
TACOMA, Wash. — MultiCare Health System received a $1.5 million grant from the Health Resources & Services Administration (HRSA) of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) to establish a Sexual Assault Nurse Examiner (SANE) training program.
The SANE program aims to provide MultiCare’s emergency department (ED) nurses the training to conduct trauma-informed and culturally responsive forensic exams using curriculum rooted in insights from community stakeholders and sexual assault survivor advocates. The grant will also cover the cost of upgrading forensic equipment and adding the capability for forensic photography at each of MultiCare’s 16 EDs.
The project will address financial barriers to trainees’ success by offering a quarterly series of free courses in Eastern, Central and Western Washington, including:
- 40-hour SANE-A (adult/adolescent) didactic course in a hybrid online/in-person model
- 16-hour advanced, in-person clinical course with simulated and live gynecological training aids
The curriculum follows practice guidelines and requirements of the state of Washington and the International Association of Forensic Nurses (IAFN), the recognized authority on forensic nursing.
“Our intention is to provide comprehensive, survivor-centered care to survivors of sexual assault who come to our emergency departments,” said Jennifer Cantrell, RN, MSN, NPD-BC, SANE-A, interim project director. “With enhanced education and upgraded forensic medical supplies in our emergency rooms, we can ensure that survivors are supported immediately and compassionately and know that they are not alone.”
Washington has disproportionately high rates of sexual violence and limited capacity to provide emergency medical care to victim-survivors. The project’s goal will be to add at least 300 SANE-trained and at least 15 SANE-certified nurses to the state’s workforce by the end of the three-year project period, approximately doubling Washington’s SANE workforce, according to the latest available estimate.
“Developing SANE competency among our nurses, with consistent protocols and expectations across our statewide health system, will improve quality of care and help us deepen our support for a vulnerable population,” said June Altaras, RN, executive vice president and chief nursing officer. “In particular, we will significantly increase our capacity to meet the high demand for care in our rural and medically underserved communities.”
SANEs trained through this project will provide care in 16 MultiCare EDs across Washington, 11 of which are in HRSA-defined medically underserved areas. Nurses outside MultiCare will also be invited to participate in training, extending project reach to additional rural and medically underserved areas. Currently, MultiCare serves sexual assault survivors seeking care at its EDs through a combination of voluntary on-call and contract nurses.
This project is supported by HRSA, an agency of the HHS, as part of an award totaling $500,000 per year with 0 percent financed with nongovernmental sources. The contents are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily represent the official views of, nor an endorsement, by HRSA, HHS or the U.S. government.
About MultiCare
MultiCare Health System is a not-for-profit health care organization with 12 hospitals and more than 22,000 team members. We are committed to achieving our mission of healing and a healthy future and delivering world-class health outcomes and an exceptional experience.
As one of the largest community-based, locally governed health systems in Washington state, our comprehensive system of health includes numerous primary care, urgent care and dedicated specialty services. For more information, visit multicare.org or follow us on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram and LinkedIn.