The Yorkton Partnership Against Violence Committee has seen a gap in the way sexual violence is dealt with in the region. The group is attempting to get four sexual assault nurse examiners (SANE) hired in the Sunrise Health Region (SHR) to cope with the problem.
Lauretta McInnes with the Yorkton Partnership Against Violence Committee says due to the population of the region four nurse examiners are needed in the SHR. She notes that while there is one nurse currently trained in the region, she is at present on leave and unable to fulfill those duties.
Sgt. James Morton with the Yorkton RCMP is in agreement, stating the RCMP would like to see one nurse examiner on duty at all times. With four, all shifts are covered, and while these individuals can act as regular nurses most of the time, when someone presents as being a victim, it allows the region to take immediate action and help the victim.
"It's less expensive than having doctors come in, because doctors don't want to get tied down in emergency, we would have a SANE nurse to do all that. It prevents the victim from being delayed and having to be moved from one person to another, we would have trained people to look after their needs," Morton says.
McInnes adds, that when somebody is a victim of sexual assault, there are three entities which need to respond. It's called a Sexual Assault Response Team (SART), and they include law enforcement, a medical professional and a victim advocate. While the law enforcement and victim advocacy groups are well represented in the area, the medical part of the team is a missing part of the group.
"When a person presents at the hospital, you need to have those three working together as a team, and we don't have that here," McInnes says.
She emphasizes that this issue affects people of all genders and ages, and those who are under the care of others are at a greater risk of being a victim of sexualized violence.
The sexual assault nurse examiners have specialized training to help examine and treat victims of sexual violence.
She also notes that another necessary part of the system is a more private area for people who have become a victim to present themselves. It is often difficult for a victim of sexual violence to admit that they are a victim, and they might be embarrassed or ashamed in the immediate aftermath. A more private location would allow people to be comfortable and more willing to talk about what happened.
"When there's trauma involved with someone's sexual experience, and when there's alcohol, drugs, or some other illegal activity, it's that much more difficult to talk about," McInnes says.
Another advantage of a designated site is that it can be one location to which the victim can go, and all of the related agencies can attend the victim in under one roof. The process would allow the victim to be in a safe place and receive the proper supports.
Morton says that part of the job is keeping victims from feeling as though they are being re-victimized as they have to tell their story to several people. He says that with the current process, victims get re-victimized every time they are moved to place to place. He also says as the system stands now, there's a chance a doctor wouldn't be willing to do a sexual assault test kit, and a victim could be sent to Regina or Fort Qu'Appelle.
"When the victim hears this, all they want to do is go home and get cleaned up, they don't want to have to re-tell their story to seven or eight different people. It's very traumatic for them, and they just want to go home... they don't want to have to deal with the bureaucracy," Morton says.
McInnes says that communication with the Sunrise Health Region has been frustrating. While they have met with various parties, she says that there has not been much in the way of a response.
In an email to The News Review the Sunrise Health Region stated that the SHR has one nurse trained as a Sexual Assault Nurse Examiner and that work has been done with physicians who are also able to provide sexual assault examination services to patients when needed. In most instances they say, this service can be provided by physicians and nursing staff at the emergency department of the local hospitals. As of press time, Interim CEO Suann Laurent was unavailable for comment.
