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Guiding Principles

TRAUMA-FOCUSED PATIENT CARE

The emotional needs of the patient are the forefront of patient care.

EVIDENCE BASED

Sexual assault forensic medical exams are based on valid and current scientific research published in peer-reviewed journals.

MULTI-DISCIPLINARY TEAM MEMBER

Participation with law enforcement officers, criminalists, prosecutors, and victim advocates on local intervention teams ensures a coordinated response.

STATE AND LOCAL COLLABORATIVE PARTNER

Collaboration with state associations and state and local agencies is key to successful intervention approaches and strategies.

Sexual Assault Forensic Medicine History and Development

SEXUAL ASSAULT FORENSIC MEDICINE HISTORY AND DEVELOPMENT
Sexual assault forensic medicine began in California in 1985, with the enactment of Penal Code section 13823.5-11, which requires trained healthcare providers to use the standard state form and protocol issued by the California Office of Emergency Services.

This statute also requires counties with a population of 100,000 or more to have trained personnel on-call or on duty. For counties with a population of one million or more, one trained exam team per million population is required. Sexual assault examiners may be registered nurses, nurse practitioners, physician assistants, or physicians.

In 1995, the California Clinical Forensic Medical Training Center (CCFMTC) was established in state law to increase access by victims to trained healthcare providers and to implement eight statutory objectives

SART TEAMS
Established by Penal Code section 13898, Sexual Assault Response Teams (SART) Teams are community based, multi-disciplinary teams comprised of law enforcement officers, prosecutors, criminalists, victim advocates, and SAFE/SANE team examiners.

SAFE & SANE TEAMS
Sexual Assault Forensic Exam (SAFE) teams are composed of registered nurses, nurse practitioners, physician assistants, and physicians. Sexual Assault Nurse Examiner (SANE) teams are registered nurses. SAFE and SANE teams perform exams in accordance with the California Medical Protocol for Examination of Sexual Assault and Child Sexual Abuse Victims and the standardized forensic medical report forms designed for this purpose.

To facilitate networking among the 48 sexual assault exam teams in California through telecommunications technology and state and regional meetings.
To represent sexual assault forensic medical exam teams in state-level policy making and legislation.
To provide training and technical assistance to developing and existing examination teams.
To collaborate with state and local partners.
To advance the field of sexual assault forensic medicine and nursing.