Grant helps fill critical need in Arizona by training nurses to help survivors of sexual assault

​Two Assistant Clinical Professors at the College of Nursing received a $1,482,169 Advanced Nurse Education‐Sexual Assault Nurse Examiner (SANE) program grant to expand sexual assault response services in rural areas of Region 9 (Arizona, Nevada, California, Hawaii, and the US Affiliated Pacific Islands) over three years. This is the third time the university has received this grant. Deborah Williams, PhD, MPH, RN, is the Principal Investigator for the grant. Lauren Acosta, PhD, RN, SANE-A, CPH, is the co-investigator and has been SANE-A certified since 2018.

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Awarded by the Health Resources and Service Administration (HRSA), the almost one-and-a-half-million-dollar grant will increase the supply, distribution, and quality of the SANE workforce, which provides access to mental and physical care while properly conducting forensic medical examinations and securing evidence from survivors of sexual assault and domestic violence. The need for these licensed healthcare providers is vital as a sexual assault occurs every 68 seconds in the U.S., with 1 in 6 American women experiencing a completed or attempted rape in her lifetime.

“SANE registered nurses are specially trained to provide holistic healthcare to this vulnerable patient population. However, a nationwide shortage exists, especially in rural and medically underserved regions,” said Williams. “In the state of Arizona, there are only 52 certified sexual assault nurse examiners, and it is imperative that we increase these numbers to meet the needs of our patients. Everyone who is impacted by sexual violence deserves to have accessible healthcare options that address their acute trauma and mitigate the long-term consequences,” added Acosta.

“I am proud that the U of A College of Nursing has faculty like Dr. Williams and Dr. Acosta who care deeply about ensuring that Arizona communities have access to this critical training. They, along with the other college SANE grant participants, are a fine example of our mission of providing community service and promoting health equity,” said Brian Ahn, PhD, dean of the College of Nursing.

Dr. Lindsay Bouchard, DNP, PMHNP-BC, DNP Program Director and Evaluator/Preceptor Support Specialist for the grant, said, “I’m honored to have been part of this grant team for the last five years, focusing on developing resources and support technology to promote resiliency and trauma-informed care specifically for SANEs. This team has developed and implemented clinical skills training with extraordinary dedication and innovation, including opportunities to involve our Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) students and community nurses. I’m very excited to see the continuing and expanded work of this grant-funded program under the leadership of Dr. Williams and Dr. Acosta.” 

The SANE training program offers two clinical skills labs: one for providing care to adults and adolescents and another for pediatric survivors. The most significant barriers to training and certification are the lack of access and the cost of public training. The HRSA-funded U of A SANE Program is dedicated to reducing these barriers by covering the cost of didactic training and providing entry-level and advanced clinical skills labs to registered nurses interested in the SANE role. As a component of the grant, the program also developed a dedicated mobile application called “SANE Well,” specifically to help combat burnout and prioritize the mental health and lifestyle challenges SANE nurses face in this crucial field.

If you want to learn more about the SANE training program, visit nursing.arizona.edu/sane-program for more information.