New Camera Aids in Care for Sexual Assault Survivors

Brookings Health System recently received a new camera to collect forensic photographic evidence for survivors of sexual assault.

The Hennepin Assault Response Team of Minneapolis gifted the camera to Brookings Health as part of their Train to Retain program to assist rural health facilities and increase access to post-assault care. The camera will be used by Brookings Health System’s team of sexual assault nurse examiners (SANE) to provide post-sexual assault care.

SANEs are registered nurses who have received specialized training to provide comprehensive care to sexual assault survivors, meeting both their physical and emotional needs.

“We provide trauma-informed, compassionate, comprehensive exams with both medical and legal implications in mind,” said Nancy DeBoer, RN, a trained SANE at Brookings Health. “We work closely with patient advocates from the Brookings Domestic Abuse Shelter to ensure patients have knowledge on resources outside of the hospital.”

As forensic nurses, Brookings Health’s SANEs offer medical evidentiary exams, medications to prevent pregnancy and sexually transmitted infections, and guidance to patients on follow up care. They also provide patients with options on how to report an assault to law enforcement or how to collect evidence anonymously. SANEs also ensure the patient has a safety plan upon discharge. In addition, they may provide expert testimony if a case goes to trial.

Assault survivors may seek help at Brookings Health System’s emergency department. Care is offered for patients of all ages, genders and backgrounds who report sexual assault or abuse, intimate partner violence, and human trafficking or sexual exploitation.

About Brookings Health System

Brookings Health System, located in Brookings, South Dakota, includes a 49-bed hospital, the 79-bed The Neighborhoods at Brookview nursing home, Brookhaven Estates senior living apartments, Yorkshire Eye Clinic & Optical, and medical clinics in Arlington, White and Volga, South Dakota. It is a non-profit, city-owned facility that offers the community a full range of inpatient, outpatient, emergency and extended care services. Brookings Hospital provides local access to doctors in Brookings and offers robotic da Vinci surgery and Mako robotic-arm assisted procedures, making it one of the premier rural community hospitals in South Dakota. For more information about the services offered at Brookings Health System, please call (605) 696-9000 or visit us on the Web at brookingshealth.org.