Manitoba training more nurses to support victims of sexual violence

Manitoba is promising to train more nurses who specialize in treatingthe survivors of sexual violence.

The provincial government announcedThursday it will develop a new program that booststhe number of these specialized nurses and ensures the support is more accessible in rural Manitoba.

The newforensic nurse examiner program will build upon the existingprogram run out of an unmarked room at the Health Sciences Centre in Winnipeg.

"We know that sexual assault and intimate partner violence rates have increased over the last several years," saidJennifer Cumpsty, executive director of acute services at HSC, at a news conference at the Manitoba legislative building.

"This is to make surethat we are able to deliver safe and comprehensive care to all."

Private, confidential care

Under the current program, which is known as the sexual assault nurse examiner, or SANE, program, a specialized team of nurses is called inwhen someone who has been sexually or physicallyassaulted shows up in a Winnipeg emergency room. The patient istaken to a private area of HSC. They can be referredfrom elsewhere in the facility or from other hospitals.

Going forward, HSC will be treated as the provincial hub and centre of excellence for the forensic nurse examiner program.Initial satellite sites will be established in Brandon, The Pas and Thompson.

The HSC site will act as a resource to rural communities, providing Telehealth services to nurses working in communities without the service. Existing nurses in Brandon, The Pas and Thompson can be trained tospecializein this type of care.

Manitoba will spend $640,000 annually to support the new program. Five additional nurses will be hired full-time and a provincial co-ordinator will lead it.

Families Minister Rochelle Squires said it is vital to expand the reach of this type of specialized support.

"There is nothing more devastating or heartbreaking than experiencing sexual violence, and this trauma-informed approach will go a long way to helping those on their healing journey," she said.

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Manitoba is promising to train more nurses who specialize in treating the survivors of sexual violence. The provincial government announced Thursday it will develop a new program that boosts the number of these specialized nurses and ensures the support is more accessible in rural Manitoba.

A counsellorin Klinic Community Health'ssexual health crisis program is thrilled by the announcement.

JerraFraser said patients appreciate meeting with specialized nurses who understand what they're going through and lets them decide what level of care they want.

"It's really survivor- or client-centred, and that's really meaningful after an experience that takes away someone's sense of choice, power and control," she said.

The province said the SANE program has steadily seen more cases every year. In the 2020-21 fiscal year, 688 survivors were supported.

The province hopes to have the expanded program up and running in late 2022 or early 2023.