Sexual Assault Nurse Examiner Services

Sexual assault is, sadly, a real issue in our community. To meet the needs of victims of sexual assault, Door County Medical Center (DCMC) offers Sexual Assault Nurse Examiner (SANE) services providing immediate and compassionate medical care in a safe and confidential setting to victims of sexual assault. DCMC has two SANE trained nurses: Cindy LaCrosse-Gerhart and Tara Stueber, RN. 

“Our SANE program maintains an ongoing working relationship with other organizations that can help victims of sexual assault,” says Tara Stueber, RN. “We work closely with the Human Victim Advocate for the Sexual Assault Center of Family Services, Law Enforcement, and the District Attorney’s office.”

What should I do if I am a victim of sexual assault?

Victims are encouraged to call the Sexual Assault Center for guidance through the SANE process, reporting process, or just to talk through their situation. Please ask questions to make an informed decision that is right for you.

Plan for your safety, report to the police, and get medical attention.

1.  Adult victims have a few options: If a victim has been assaulted within the last 5 days or 120 hours, they are able to go in for a SANE. At Door County Medical Center, the staff will call the Sexual Assault Center (SAC) to have an advocate respond for the SANE. The advocate would arrive to the hospital and introduce SAC services. At that time, the victim can decide if they want an advocate’s support or not.

At the hospital, the SANE nurse or advocate can ask the victim if they wish to report to law enforcement. The victim can decide to have law enforcement involved or not.  If the victim wants law enforcement involved, the SANE nurse or advocate can call law enforcement to respond to the hospital. This way, all parties are present for the victim to tell their story once.

If the victim decides not to report to law enforcement, they can have the SANE completed and the SANE nurse would send the kit into the crime lab for storage for up to 10 yrs. “Some victims do not report to law enforcement for many years, so we want to give you any opportunity to have options, if you change your mind in the future,” says Stueber.

2. Child Victims*: If an assault of a pubescent child has occurred within 5 days or 120 hours, victims can have SANE. When reporting an assault of a child, the following protocol occurs:

• Child Protective Services (CPS) is notified.

• Law enforcement is notified.

• Sexual Assault Center sends an advocate.

• Law enforcement, CPS worker, advocate, and SANE nurse get a brief statement from the parent/guardian with the child. The child will be examined by the SANE nurse and interview at a later date at Child Advocacy Center in Green Bay or with forensically trained interviewer with law enforcement.

*Pre-pubescent pediatric SANE takes place at St. Vincent’s in Green Bay.

How can we prevent sexual assault in our community?

Sexual Assault Center provides prevention education to all ages to help prevent sexual assault. The prevention education is designed to be non-threatening, age-appropriate, and informative for different audiences. Please contact the Sexual Assault Center if you are interested in prevention education in your community: 920-746-8996.