MERIDIAN, Idaho — Idaho State Police’s (ISP) SANE training program has built a network of specially trained healthcare providers to better help sexual assault victims.
251 registered nurses across Idaho now have training and tools to help examine victims, and more thoroughly investigate assaults.
"SANE stands for sexual assault, Nurse Examiner," said Matthew Gamette, Idaho State Police director of laboratory systems.
Basic training for registered nurses and doctors is a 40-hour course.
"The training focuses on medical, it focuses on we need to treat them as a survivor. We need to make sure that their medical needs are addressed. We need to make sure that if they have things like evidence of strangulation, that we make sure that they're okay, that we're not sending someone back home that is going to then have a serious medical problem," said Gamette.
ISP launched this training program back in 2017 when only three areas statewide had trained nurses performing these exams.
Today, 251 nurses are helping sexual assault victims in both populated and rural areas around Idaho.
"The state is bearing the brunt of those costs to be able to take this training. And so other than just their time to be able to come to the course we have, I believe 12 could be increasing to 14 or 15 next year, weeks of training, they are delivered locally. So we're going to all kinds of different communities in our state next year," Gamette said.
ISP tracks where SANE trained nurses work and where specialized services are for all counties.
For registered nurses or doctors interested in SANE training or learning more about ISP’s forensic services check out this link.