Trinity Health Invests $100K Grant in SANE Rooms

SANE rooms offer victims of sexual assault and rape a confidential space to be examined and interviewed following the trauma.

Trinity Health Foundation will allocate a $100,000 grant it was awarded by the William Randolph Hearst Foundation towards Sexual Assault Nurse Examiner (SANE) interview and exam rooms in the new Trinity Health Emergency Trauma Center, according to reports.

SANE rooms offer victims a confidential space away from the crowded emergency room where they will not have to wait and can quickly receive the medical care they need during a traumatic time. These rooms are designed to provide comfort, counseling, and confidentiality to victims of sexual assault and rape. The rooms will also be equipped with a bathroom and shower for victims to utilize following their exam.

There are 463,634 victims of rape and sexual assault—age 12 and older—on average in the United States each year, according to research from RAINN, the largest anti-sexual violence organization in the country. RAINN created and operates the National Sexual Assault Hotline and runs programs designed to prevent sexual violence, support victims, and find them justice.

Over the last five years, Trinity Health has been partnering with the Central Dakota Forensic Nurse Examiners to offer victims better quality care, according to a Fox affiliate report. In 2021 the organization helped 44 victims in that area alone, and this year they say they are seeing more come in.