VON will handle the SANE program for Truro

TRURO, N.S. — The long-awaited expansion of the Sexual Assault Nurse Examiner (SANE) program to Truro will be managed by the VON.
The Nova Scotia Health Authority said in a news release issued Wednesday that a contract has been awarded to VON Nova Scotia to expand the SANE program to Colchester and Cumberland counties, East Hants and the Eastern Shore.
“Access to close-to-home services and support can be critical to a survivor’s recovery process,” said organization president and CEO, Jo-Anne Poirier. “VON will build on established and effective community-based models in delivering trauma-informed care, enhanced by our expertise and experience in the delivery of community nursing care.”
Health and Wellness Minister Randy DeLorey made a commitment last October to expand the SANE program to other areas of the province following a public outcry over a lack of proper care for sexual assault victims in Truro.
The commitment came after the Truro News published stories of two women who came forward to share their accounts of being improperly received when they went to the Colchester East Hants Health Centre to report they had been sexually assaulted.
The program had been available in the Halifax and Antigonish areas but not in other regions of the province. It now is also being offered through the Tri County Women's Centre, at the Valley Regional Hospital in Kentville and South Shore Regional Hospital in Bridgewater. 
The new contract will see the VON work with the Nova Scotia Health Authority to train nurses. Once in place, the program will be available through all regional hospitals, providing in-person coverage across the province on a 24/7 basis.
Sexual Assault Nurse Examiners are registered nurses who have advanced training and expertise to provide specialized medical and forensic response. On-call nurses provide emergency care that includes supportive care, medical attention, information and additional resources, as well as the option to have forensic evidence collected.