PROGRAM RECOGNIZED — Mayor Stephen Yamashiro has proclaimed the week of June 19-25 as “Sexual Assault Nurse Examiner Week” in recognition of the fifth anniversary of the SANE program. Looking on in the mayor’s office is County Prosecutor Jay Kimura, Police Chief Wayne Carvalho and Phoebe Lambeth, a sexual assault nurse examiner and president of the Big Island Coalition Against Physical and Sexual Abuse.
HAWAII COUNTY POLICE DEPARTMENT
HILO JUVENILE AID SECTION
DETECTIVE RANDALL A. MEDEIROS
PHONE: 961-2279
MAY 25, 2000
MEDIA RELEASE
Mayor Stephen Yamashiro has declared the week of June 19-25, 2000, as “Sexual Assault Nurse Examiner Week” in recognition of the fifth anniversary of the SANE program on the Big Island.
The week will culminate in a recognition luncheon to be held on Sunday, June 25, at the Hilo Yacht Club.
Recognized in the past for its accomplishments, the county’s SANE program was started in 1995 after an 18-year-old sexual assault victim waited five hours to be examined by a physician at the Hilo Medical Center. After numerous attempts made to locate a physician were unsuccessful, the victim left without being given an examination.
As a result of the incident, a group of registered nurses answered the call for better victim response and formed what became known as the Sexual Assault Response Team (SART). The group was formed to fill the need for immediate and appropriate medical care for sexual assault victims in the Big Island community.
Since there was insufficient interest from local physicians to conduct examinations of sexual assault victims, the team arranged to train registered nurses to accomplish the task.
The SANE program began nationally in the 1970s in response to circumstances similar to those experienced in Hilo in 1995. A training team from Santa Cruz, California, was brought to Hilo to train a group of prospective Sexual Assault Response Team nurses.
Hawaii County held its own SART/SANE training institute in 1998 and is currently helping Maui and Kauai counties to plan another one. Nurses on the Big Island as well as from other counties interested in becoming a SANE nurse will attend.
Registered nurses with at least two years of clinical experience who are interested in becoming a SANE nurse should call Catherine L. Stevens, RN, Hawaii County SANE program coordinator, at 961-2255 for additional information.
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