USA and USA Health Establish Pediatric SANE Program

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Posted on January 24, 2023

Joy Washington

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The University of South Alabama College of Nursing and USA Health will work together to address child abuse and sexual assault through a $497,158 federal grant to establish the South Kids Intervention and Prevention Services (SKIPS) program. It will be a comprehensive center for pediatric and adolescent forensic examination services. 

According to a recent community health needs assessment, residents ranked child abuse and neglect as the No. 1 health issue facing Mobile and Baldwin county residents, with rape and sexual assault ranking 4th on the list of the top 6 health issues.

South Alabama is one of four institutions to receive this competitive funding from the U.S. Department of Justice’s Office for Victims of Crime.

“SKIPS will establish the first full-service center to deliver pediatric sexual assault care in Mobile and the Gulf Coast region,” said Project Director Dr. Ashleigh Bowman, an assistant professor in USA’s College of Nursing. “This new center, which will treat pediatric patients at USA Health Children’s & Women’s Hospital, will allow us to create a pediatric sexual assault nurse examiner (SANE) call team to serve children and teens, as well as provide non-acute exams that are child centered and trauma informed.”

This project will be a coordinated community response involving the University’s College of Nursing, USA Health and the Child Advocacy Center of Mobile. The multidisciplinary team managing the pediatric SANE project includes Bowman along with USA Health Forensic Nursing Coordinator Kathryn Loveless and USA Research Assistant Professor Dr. Candice Selwyn. Dr. Alison Rudd, now with the Baldwin County Public School System, assisted this team in writing the grant proposal.

“This partnership will allow us to increase access to trauma-informed care for those suffering from pediatric maltreatment in a holistic, child-centered manner that the community has desperately needed,” said Deborah Browning, CEO of USA Health Children’s & Women’s Hospital. “We believe children deserve the best. This partnership will provide much-needed care for children needing SANE services in our community, surrounding areas and along the Gulf Coast region.”

Loveless said this community response is critical in the healthcare outcomes of pediatric patients.

“By working to incorporate trauma-informed, child-focused care, we can give control to our patients and empower healthcare providers with the proper education to see this unique population,” she said. “Having a designated SANE exam room in the new USA Health Children’s & Women’s Pediatric Emergency Center is a game changer for our community and the region.”

Sexually abused children and adolescents often lack access to both immediate care and follow-up medical services. Child Advocacy Center Executive Director Andy Wynne said the SKIPS program will help.

“There are hundreds of children who have been abused that come through the CAC each year that need these services, not only for their physical health but to also help determine a more comprehensive approach to ensure their safety and recovery,” Wynne said. “We have a long-standing positive relationship with USA, and I believe this new program will strengthen that and our response to child abuse in our community.

“Dealing with child abuse requires a multifaceted approach that is inclusive of healthcare, law enforcement, social services, child welfare and the legal system. The new program at USA fills a vital role for children who have experienced life-changing abuse.”

Once the new center is fully functioning, the program calls for training and certifying more pediatric sexual assault nurse examiners and increasing retention through ongoing training, simulations and workshops.

“It’s important nurses have special training to effectively manage the differences and concerns with children and teens who have been sexually assaulted,” said Dr. Heather Hall, dean of the College of Nursing. “Our focus is to continue securing grants that provide faculty and healthcare professionals with the training to advance nursing education and practice.”

The program also focuses on recruiting. “There’s a component of the grant that will recruit and retain nursing professionals,” Bowman noted. “Also, it’s important we introduce forensic nursing and the SANEs certification to nursing undergraduate students so that they are aware this training and certification are available.” 

The goals of this project are to:

Establish a coordinated pediatric sexual assault nurse examiner program that will provide patients with comprehensive, trauma-informed, victim-centered medical forensic care after an acute sexual assault.
Expand multidisciplinary care to pediatric victims following sexual assault, including access to follow-up medical forensic care, victim advocates, therapists and non-acute sexual assault medical forensic examinations.

This press release was produced by the University of South Alabama under 15POVC-23-GK-O1409-SAFE, awarded by the Office for Victims of Crime, Office of Justice Programs, U.S. Department of Justice. The opinions, findings and conclusions or recommendations expressed in this press release are those of the contributors and do not necessarily represent the official position or policies of the U.S. Department of Justice.

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