Facility destinations

	Hospital
	Rehabilitation center
	Facility home page

Facility links

	Phone directory
	Patient & visitor guide
	Online cafeteria menu
	Health care quality
	Calendar of events
	Job opportunities
	Volunteer opportunities
	Patient rights & responsibilities
	Support Aurora Medical Center
	Contact Aurora Medical Center

Aurora Medical Center

S.A.N.E.

EM Systems | ED services | S.A.N.E. | AED CPR
Contact us | ED home

In Washington County the ER at Aurora Medical Center (AMC) has 2 S.A.N.E. nurses. (Sexual Assault Nurse Examiners). These nurses staff our sexual assault and domestic violence treatment center. This treatment center is a program that will benefit the city of Hartford as well as the surrounding communities of Washington, Dodge and Waukesha counties. For more information on SANE and what it can do for you, click here.

When a sexual assault or domestic violence case presents to the ER, the Forensic nurse is trained to gather DNA evidence from the victim. This DNA evidence is collected by swabbing specific areas on the patient. Because very small samples of DNA can be used as evidence, attention must be given to identifying, collecting and preserving this evidence. In order for this forensic evidence to be valuable it must be safeguarded from contamination and must be preserved properly.

Domestic violence and sexual assault is a growing problem in our communities. According to the Office of Justice Assistance Statistical Analysis Center:

• In 2001, an estimated 5,292 sexual assaults were reported to law enforcement agencies in Wisconsin
• In 2001, 68.1 percent of sexual assault cases the victim knew the perpetrator, 21.5 percent of perpetrators were related to the victim and 10.3 percent were strangers
• In 2001, over 92.8 percent of the perpetrators were white males
• Sexual violence remains the most dramatically under-reported crime with an estimated two thirds of attacks unreported (American medical association, 1996).
• In 2000 there were 25,021 incidents of domestic abuse reported to the Department of Justice and 65,124 hotline calls received

As these statistics disturbingly show, there is a colossal need for medical intervention and services to this population of people. By acknowledging this need in our communities we can set in motion the education, expertise, interventions and preventions necessary for a safe and healthy community. Knowledge is power and we need to empower our community

Our hope is while correctly providing these services we will gain the confidence of our clientele which will increase the likelihood of reporting these crimes to law enforcement. Only after something has been acknowledged can it be stopped. DNA evidence does not have an interest, bias or prejudice. It is what it is.