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Dear editor:
In response to a very unpleasant event for a child, parent, school, police and medical personal and any others involved, I see an opportunity for community awareness. Why do I say …
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Dear editor:
In response to a very unpleasant event for a child, parent, school, police and medical personal and any others involved, I see an opportunity for community awareness. Why do I say this? As a nurse for 47 years, with a variety of experience and a forensic nurse certificate, I would hate to see anyone else go through a similar experience without making our community aware of expert services available.
A question was posed in an article written and published in the Cody Enterprise asking, “Does a physician need a special certificate to determine sexual trauma?” My response to this is, “Yes.” We all need to know our limitations. I am, inherently aware, that over the years forensic nursing and sexual assault nursing has moved to the forefront for hospitals, police, courts, physicians and especially the victims in providing evidence. However, we should not forget how important it is to exhibit care, concern and compassion for the victim(s) and families involved.
A question I have, is do we in Park County have a Sexual Assault Response Team (SART ) or Sexual Assault Nurse Examiner (SANE) team or nurse? Yes, we do! So, we have an opportunity here to make our community aware of these well-trained nurses and help victims and families in distress. It is of the utmost importance that our community is made aware of these skilled and trained resources and utilize it.
I end with a question for everyone and anyone. If you (female or male) were put into an assault situation, would you not want the best-trained personal aiding in the evidence collection, documentation, photos, court appearances working with our police personal? Or someone who may be questioning if they are the right one for this tragedy, because they do not have the training/certification?
It is sad that we say to ourselves, “This could never happen here.” However, it can and will. Let’s be prepared to help our community know and understand what is best for the victim, family and community. Working together gets great results! Awareness of the resources we have available is the key.
Diana Mugno
Cody
