Need your comments please!!!!!!

I became a SANE after being a seasoned public health nurse. I think more nurses should know that working with survivors discourages many in health care including providers who are not SANEs. We are not alone. Patient-centered and trauma informed care promotes the health and well-being of survivors which is the highest priority as an individual SANE. I think we need to expand our knowledge and understanding of sexual assault as a public health problem and convey that reality to new SANEs. It often takes generations to thoroughly address public health issues. This is especially true for those that have cultural and societal roots. The combination of forensic science, the nursing process and advocacy continues to positively impact survivors. We know that nursing can also impact societal perceptions and stimulate systems change, eventually.

Addressing sexual violence as a public health problem takes endurance but benefits us all- survivors, perpetrators, nurses, health care and the justice system. In my humble opinion, actively involving SANEs in the research and development of accessible, cost effective, evidence-based sexual violence prevention programs and intervention programs for perpetrators would be a comprehensive way to bring about visible, meaningful and lasting change.