ThedaCare
Trains More Nurses, Dedicates Space at ThedaCare Regional Medical
Center-Appleton to Help Sexual Assault Survivors
ThedaCare is expanding the SANE (Sexual
Assault Nurse Examiner) program at ThedaCare Regional Medical Center-Appleton on
Fri., April 1, to offer more comprehensive coverage for victims. Nurses
throughout ThedaCare will be trained for the SANE program. April is Sexual
Assault Awareness Month.
“Our expanded SANE program
provides quality, trauma-informed, compassionate care to victims of sexual
assault, while at the same time improves the quality of evidence collection for
law enforcement,” said Jennifer Fredriksen RN, BSN, Emergency Department manager
at
ThedaCare Regional Medical Center-Neenah. “We created a dedicated SANE suite
in Appleton to serve as a place of calm after such a traumatic event in these
individuals’ lives.”
At ThedaCare, nurse examiners volunteer for the special SANE training
they need to help victims and law enforcement. “Survivors of sexual assault can
be extremely traumatized. Having quality, expert medical care from highly
trained nurses in an organized SANE program is vital to helping a victim
recover,” said Audrey James, RN, SANE nurse and nursing supervisor, Emergency Department in
Neenah. “We want to make sure each victim receives care that helps restore
their dignity and helps them begin the healing process.”
Fredriksen
said they have a good start, but expects continued growth in ThedaCare’s SANE
program in the coming year. “Our goal is to reach 24/7 coverage,” she
continued. “We’re not there yet, but we’re getting closer every day. We now
have 12 trained SANE nurses throughout the ThedaCare system. It’s important to
serve our community with this critical resource that’s a little closer to home
than previous options.”
For more than 100 years, ThedaCare™ has been committed to
finding a better way to deliver serious and complex healthcare to patients
throughout Northeast Wisconsin. The organization serves over 200,000 patients
annually and employs more than 6,800 healthcare professionals throughout the
region. ThedaCare has seven hospitals located in Appleton, Neenah, Berlin,
Waupaca, Shawano, New London and Wild Rose as well as 34 clinics in 14
counties. ThedaCare is the first in Wisconsin to be a Mayo Clinic Care Network
Member, giving our specialists the ability to consult with Mayo Clinic experts
on a patient’s care. ThedaCare is a non-profit healthcare organization with a
level II trauma center, comprehensive cancer treatment, stroke and cardiac
programs as well as a foundation dedicated to community service. The ThedaCare Regional Cancer Center in
Appleton opened in February. For more information, visit www.thedacare.org or follow ThedaCare on Facebook and Twitter.