Posted
by Karrey Britt
September 9, 2010 at 2:55 p.m.
District attorney tours new sexual assault exam room at Lawrence Memorial Hospital, praises new services
Lawrence Memorial Hospital Sexual Assault Nurse Examiner Coordinator Jessie Fazel looks over the new Secure Digital Forensic Imaging system Thursday, Sept. 9, 2010. She explained how the new $25,000 piece of equipment will be used to collect evidence during a private open house. by Richard Gwin
Lawrence Memorial Hospital has stepped up its efforts during the past year to increase services to sexual assault victims.
Those efforts include training more nurses, creating a new examination room and purchasing a $25,000 state-of-the-art imaging system.
“We have really striven to be at the forefront of evidence collection. Our patients are going to receive the best care in the area, and we have amazing equipment that we can now use,” said Jessie Fazel, Sexual Assault Nurse Examiner (SANE) coordinator and nurse. “I feel like we are well equipped to handle these cases.”
Last fall, District Attorney Charles Branson raised concerns about the number of adult victims being transferred to hospitals in Topeka and Kansas City.
In 2008, there were 34 sexual assault patients and five were transferred. In 2009, there were 69 patients and three were transferred.
The problem was that LMH didn’t have enough nurses trained to handle sexual assault cases. At the time of Branson’s letter, there were five. Now, there are 17.
This year, there have been 39 patients and no transfers.
“The hospital has done a great job of training new staff and putting some really great efforts forward to make this a really great community hospital that can serve all of the needs of people in Lawrence and Douglas County,” Branson said.
From left, Acting Lawrence Police Chief Tarik Khatib, and Detective Capt. Mike Pattrick, along with Lawrence Memorial Sexual Assault Nurse Examiner Julie Jacobson watch Sarah Martin, also a SANE nurse, demonstrate a new imaging system used to collect evidence in sexual assault cases. LMH had a private open house Thursday, Sept. 9, 2010, for its SANE program. by Richard Gwin
Sarah Martin, a Lawrence Memorial Hospital nurse who is trained to handle sexual assault patients, demonstrates the new Secure Digital Forensic Imaging system during an open house Thursday, Sept. 9, 2010, at the hospital. The system captures sharper images that can be used as evidence in a sexual assault cases. by Richard Gwin
He was among 40 people who attended a private open house Wednesday of the new third-floor examination room.
SANE nurses answered questions and demonstrated how the new Secure Digital Forensic Imaging system captures sharper images. The system also has a high level data encryption which secures the evidence collected.
According to LMH, it is the first hospital in northeast Kansas and the Kansas City region to use the system.
“It is absolutely amazing,” Branson said. “We can really use that information and those images in courtrooms to prosecute offenders and hold them accountable for their crimes.”
He also was impressed by the examination room, which is designed to give victims more privacy and a sense of security and hope. There also is a shower.
“The room is great,” Branson said. “What they’ve done is they’ve paid attention to some real detail and really created a room that’s going to be a comfortable environment for somebody that’s going through a traumatic situation. It’s not a sterile environment that you would kind of expect in a hospital setting.”
The new services cost about $150,000, and it was provided through the Douglas County Community Foundation, Douglas County District Attorney’s Office, LMH Endowment Association and Audrey Bishop.
Bishop, associate vice president of LMH’s physician division, didn’t want to reveal how much she donated, but said it was a worthwhile cause.
“I am a former attorney, so I know how important the evidence is, and I was thrilled that we had the opportunity to provide a safe and caring place for victims,” she said.
Nurses will begin using the new examination room and equipment today.
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