The Official Opposition Critic for Women and Gender Equality, Sherry Gambin-Walsh, is calling on the PC Government to ensure emergency rooms have sexual assault nurse examiners around the clock.
“I have long championed Sexual Assault Nurse Examiner (SANE) services because every survivor deserves timely access to specialized, compassionate care when they need it most. I strongly supported the collaboration and efforts that helped bring these services into our hospitals, and it is encouraging that 89 nurses have now received SANE training,” says Gambin-Walsh. “However, training nurses is only one part of the solution. We must ensure those nurses are available to provide care when survivors need it, wherever they live in our province.”
Currently, only St. Clare’s Mercy Hospital in St. John’s and Western Memorial Regional Hospital in Corner Brook offer around-the-clock SANE services. This leaves survivors in rural and remote communities facing additional barriers to accessing specialized care.
“Where someone lives should never determine how quickly they can receive the medical attention, support and care they need after a sexual assault,” says Gambin-Walsh.
We must also take a serious look at how these services are staffed. Adding SANE responsibilities to the workloads of nurses who are already stretched thin is not a sustainable long-term solution. Survivors cannot be expected to wait until a nurse is available or face uncertainty about where they can turn for help. A trained nurse must be available when a survivor comes forward, not simply when staffing allows.
The PC Government must prioritize a sustainable, dedicated staffing model that prioritizes SANE services, with nurses whose primary responsibility is providing this specialized care, supplemented by other clinical duties where appropriate. This approach would help ensure trained professionals are available around the clock, strengthen access to services outside our two largest regional centres, and support the delivery of timely, compassionate and trauma-informed care.
Coming forward after a sexual assault can be incredibly difficult, and survivors deserve to be met with care, understanding and dignity.
They should not have to navigate additional barriers at an already traumatic time or worry about whether the services they need will be available. Expanding access to SANE services means recognizing the importance of both having trained nurses and ensuring the resources and staffing are in place to make that training count.
Every survivor matters. Access to specialized, compassionate care must not depend on your postal code.
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