Duncan’s Safe Center to include SANE Room

DUNCAN, Okla. (TNN) - Duncan’s Safe Center is expanding its services to include offering victims of sexual assault a SANE room where they can receive the specific medical treatment they need.

SANE stands for sexual assault nurse examination. A SANE room is one that’s reserved specifically for victims of sexual assault to receive medical treatment in and a SANE nurse is someone who is specialized to offer that treatment.

The problem in Stephens County is that there is no SANE nurse for miles and victims of sexual assault in the area have to wait hours to receive the treatment they need.

Duncan’s Safe Center Executive Director, Meagan McCurley, said she’s received phone calls in the middle of the night from Duncan Regional Hospital asking her to help secure a SANE nurse for a victim of sexual assault whose walked into the emergency room.

They collaborate to bring an out of town nurse to the victim or vice versa, but the process is long and tedious and when treatment finally becomes available, she says, the victim sometimes decides to opt out.

McCurley said she’s working to change that by creating a SANE room at The Safe Center and training a SANE nurse to come on board as well.

“I wanted victims of sexual assault to have a safer place to come to, a place that feels more private and a place that’s confidential for them. And not only would they have that once we get our SANE room up and running but they would also have a trained advocate here with them,” McCurley said.

That advocate would offer the victim all the resources that The Safe Center can provide including medical care, food, shelter and ... a safe place.

She hopes to have the SANE room open by the summer and is currently fundraising to create the room and to train a nurse to be SANE certified.

McCurley will speak more about the nonprofits SANE room at tonight’s Victims Rights Memorial Service in Duncan where the 40th anniversary of National Crime Victims’ Rights Week will be recognized with a vigil hosted by The Safe Center and The Stephens County District Attorney’s office.

“This is to honor us and to honor all the victims we serve and will continue to serve in the future,” McCurley said.

She said everyone is welcome to attend the vigil that will begin tonight at 6 p.m. at Fuqua Park in Duncan.

To make a donation for The Safe Centers’ SANE room visit The Safe Centers’ Facebook page and if you’re a nurse who would like to work for the safe centers SANE room call McCurley at 580-252-4357.

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