Victims of sexual assault in Gratiot County will soon be able to receive medical help in the county.
MidMichigan Medical Center - Gratiot in Alma will implement a Sexual Assault Nurse Examiner program in collaboration with Children’s Advocacy Center of Gratiot County, according to a news release.
The program will have four registered nurses receive specialized training and credentials for providing a sexual assault exam and collecting evidence needed for prosecution, said Shanna Hensler, community health specialist with MidMichigan Medical Centers in Alma and Mt. Pleasant. The training will consist of both adult and pediatric certifications.
“Currently, in Gratiot County, without a SANE program in place, children have to visit a hospital out of county to receive these exams and/or treatment,” said Audra Stahl, president/CEO of Child Advocacy. “We understand that we may still have some children who need to visit Devos Children’s Hospital in Grand Rapids for services, but having this service in our community will be tremendously helpful and timelier.”
The program was made a reality from a $4,900 grant from the Gratiot County Community Foundation that was recently awarded via one its three grant cycles throughout the year.
“When MidMichigan Medical Center – Gratiot stepped up offering the staff and ongoing funding for the SANE program, it made perfect sense for the Foundation to fund the training to set the program in motion sooner rather than later,” said Tina Travis, Executive Director of the Gratiot County Community Foundation. “Thanks to continued collaboration in our community, victims of abuse will no longer have to travel outside of Gratiot County for the critical services they need.”
Other support came from the Clyde and Maude Mizer Memorial Fund, the release stated.
The program is being done in collaboration with the Children’s Advocacy Center of Gratiot County, which operates under nonprofit organization Child Advocacy.
An average of 125 forensic interviews a year are done by the Children’s Advocacy Center of Gratiot County; about 90 percent of them are for victims of child sexual abuse and, of those, approximately 40 require an exam.
MidMichigan Medical Center - Gratiot has already redecorated some of the emergency department exam rooms for the purpose of serving children with more colors and warm lighting in the hallways as well.
In addition, other areas in the Emergency Department have been changed to make it more appropriate to meet the special needs of adult male and female victims of sexual assault.