Harborview’s Sexual Assault Nurse Examiner (SANE) program is expanding in 2023

Harborview’s Sexual Assault Nurse Examiner (SANE) program is expanding in 2023

24/7 Forensic, Trauma-informed Medical Care will soon be available at a sixth Seattle area hospital

By: Christen Bourgeois Date: April 7th, 2023

The Harborview Sexual Assault Nurse Examiner (SANE) program consists of on-call nurses who respond quickly to providing forensic, trauma-informed medical care to patients who have been sexually assaulted or victims of domestic violence with strangulation.

The SANE program currently provides 24/7 services within the Harborview Abuse & Trauma Center (HATC) at Harborview Medical Center (HMC) and five additional Seattle area hospitals:

  • Swedish First Hill Medical Center
  • Seattle Children’s Hospital
  • Valley Medical Center
  • UWMC-Montlake
  • Virginia Mason Medical Center

Later this year, the SANE program will expand its coverage to the Northwest Medical Center.

The SANE program’s specially trained and highly skilled team of forensic nurses provide compassionate and comprehensive care to patients of all ages, genders, and demographics. Patients often present with numerous risk factors for assault. 65% of sexual assault patients have a mental health condition and about 30% are unhoused.

The SANE program works closely with Emergency Department Social Work to meet patients’ needs. After a patient receives care, free follow-up services are also available through HATC to further support a patient’s healing and recovery.

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For more information, please visit:
Harborview Abuse & Trauma Center (HATC) >> uwhatc.org
Washington State Sexual Assault Forensic Exam (WASAFE) >> wasafe.org