SANE Unit at EWP

“I chose to complete the exam because I knew my EWP advocate would help me get through it. I was angry and ashamed after the assault, but I’m still glad I did the exam.“

After a sexual assault, the victim’s own body and lived experience become a crime scene. Sexual assault is dehumanizing, perpetrated as an act of power over another human being. Follow-up care should be a process of rehumanizing and empowering, restoring the survivor’s sense of self as an inviolate being. We intend to be the single source of care and support for all survivors of sexual or domestic violence.

A SANE (Sexual Assault Nurse Examiner) is the medical professional who completes a SAFE (Sexual Assault Forensic Exam) following a sexual assault. These exams and the evidence collected are commonly referred to as rape kits, but use of that term can be triggering for a survivor. The SAFE procedure is completed by a certified SANE Registered Nurse (RN), and can take anywhere from two hours to four hours to complete. In Muskegon County currently, SAFE procedures are completed at Trinity Health’s ER, an environment which can be overwhelming, stressful, and further triggering for the survivor.

With a SANE Unit in our building, EWP will provide survivors post-assault medications, post-exam care packages, resource literature and advocate support. We intend to be the single source of care and support for all survivors of sexual or domestic violence. Our promise to them and to this community is to respond to trauma and to restore a life after violence. Any service that gives comforting care and helps restore a victim’s sense of self belongs with EWP.

How to Help

Funding support for the SANE Unit at EWP comes from grants or through gifts from caring donors in our community. With only 50 gifts of $1,000, the SANE Unit at EWP will be fully funded for a year…for every survivor in our community. Download our SANE Unit Overview or SANE Committed Funding Handout for complete information on our progress toward this goal.

Help us build our SANE Unit

Every gift toward the SANE Unit helps us restore lives; every gift of $10, $20 or $50 adds up and helps us reach our goal.

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Committed Support

EWP has been awarded a $7,000 by the Greater Muskegon Service League’s Women and Children’s Fund through the Community Foundation for Muskegon County to modify our current building for the addition of SANE (Sexual Assault Nurse Examiner) Unit services. We thank all of the community contributors to the fund as well as the grantors who’ve committed to supporting this vision. We’re now that much closer to being able to start modification of our current space to meet the SANE Unit requirements. Give to this fund for future grants by clicking the link above.