McLaren Central Michigan, part of statewide McLaren Health Care and the region’s only specialized program dedicated to assisting survivors in the immediate aftermath of a sexual assault, has advanced its Sexual Assault Nurse Examiner (SANE) program with a pair of accreditations earned by its lead nurses.
SANE Program Coordinator Beth Nesbitt, RN, and Rose Shufelt, RN, WCC, have each been certified by the International Association of Forensic Nurses with SANE-A accreditations.
Available 24 hours a day in the hospital’s emergency department, trained and experienced SANE nurses provide a comprehensive, private exam to document, collect, and process any forensic evidence of an assault. They also provide crisis intervention support, referrals to counseling, and any required follow-up medical care. Nurses can also testify in court.
First offered in 2002, achieving a SANE-A certifies nurses who “demonstrate the highest standards of forensic nursing” and ensures those they care for and work beside that they have “developed the knowledge and expertise to provide comprehensive, compassionate care to survivors of sexual assault.”
“The dedication SANE nurses have shown for this program goes beyond a vocation and moves into passion,” said Jeannie Sage, McLaren Central Michigan Chief Nursing Officer. “Passion to care for those who have been through a harrowing ordeal, and it shines through in their commitment to their patients. We are incredibly proud of their accomplishment and grateful to be in this position to serve the community. These are truly remarkable nurses.”
The program is available to any person 13 years of age and older. Police involvement is not necessary to receive an examination, though nurses encourage and will support survivors’ decision to report.
The recipient of a Michigan Department of Health and Human Services grant last year allowed the program to expand beyond Isabella County and its surrounding counties to now serve all of the northern half of Michigan’s Lower Peninsula.
At the time, McLaren Central Michigan President and CEO Robert David said, “Since its inception, nurses in the SANE program have demonstrated their ability to thoroughly support and care for those who’ve been through a significantly traumatic event. We’re incredibly grateful for the vote of confidence in this program and accept the responsibility of continuing to be the caring and compassionate frontline resource for assault survivors.”
Individuals needing a SANE examination can contact the McLaren Central Michigan emergency department at (989) 772-6777.
More information on SANE, what constitutes sexual assault, prevention strategies and other resources, visit mclaren.org/centralsane.
Learn more about all services provided at McLaren Central Michigan at mclaren.org/centralmichigan.
About McLaren Central Michigan
McLaren Central Michigan is a 118-bed acute care hospital located in Mount Pleasant, Michigan. It offers a full range of health and wellness services including primary care, general surgery, orthopedic surgery, emergency medicine and cancer services. McLaren Central Michigan is recognized as an accessible and dependable source of quality medical care for residents of Mount Pleasant, Isabella County and central Michigan. In addition to its medical staff of over 50 active physicians, it is affiliated with more than 150 other quality providers. The hospital is one of the region’s largest employers, with approximately 550 employees and another 100 volunteers. McLaren Central Michigan received the Governor’s Award of Excellence in 2017 and 2019 and is named as one of the Top 100 Rural & Community Hospitals in the United States by the Chartis Center for Rural Health. It is the only hospital in the central Michigan area to receive a Safety “A” grade in the Hospital Safety report in 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021 and 2022.
About McLaren Health Care
McLaren Health Care, headquartered in Grand Blanc, Michigan, is a $6.6 billion, fully integrated health care delivery system committed to quality, evidence-based patient care and cost efficiency. The McLaren system includes 13 hospitals in Michigan, ambulatory surgery centers, imaging centers, a 490-member employed primary and specialty care physician network, commercial and Medicaid HMOs covering more than 732,838 lives in Michigan and Indiana, home health, infusion and hospice providers, pharmacy services, a clinical laboratory network and a wholly owned medical malpractice insurance company. McLaren operates Michigan’s largest network of cancer centers and providers, anchored by the Karmanos Cancer Institute, a National Cancer Institute-designated comprehensive cancer centers in the U.S. McLaren has 28,000 full-, part-time and contracted employees and more than 113,000 network providers throughout Michigan, Indiana and Ohio. Learn more at mclaren.org.