Ten years ago, the Kempe Child Protection Team and the Children’s Colorado Emergency Department (ED) established a pediatric sexual assault response team. Initially developed to serve adolescents seen in the ED for a recent sexual assault, services have expanded to include forensic services for physical and sexual assault victims of all ages.
The Pediatric Forensic Sexual Assault Nurse Examiner (SANE) program at Children’s Colorado provides extensive training including didactic course work, training in physical assessments and court room observation and forensic evidence collection for pediatric and adolescent patients. These specially trained forensic nurses are experienced in assessing a wide range of complaints. They can guide the pediatric emergency medicine providers in up-to-date evidence-based clinical care for patients.
The team is now compromised of eight nurses available 24 hours a day, a nurse practitioner and program coordinator, Denise Abdoo, PhD, CPNP, SANE-A, SANE-P, an emergency department nurse leader, Gray Woerly, BSN, RN, and physician medical directors, Antonia Chiesa, MD and Bernadette Johnson, MD. Child protection team clinical specialty coordinator, Mary Smith, MSN, RN, CPEN, SANE-A, was also added to the team in October 2022. This additional role has helped the team to coordinate follow-up medical care. Read the full story in the 2023 PCS Annual Report here.
