Mississippi STOP Funds Support Training and Technical Assistance on Sexual Assault Issues

During one fiscal year, the Mississippi Coalition Against Sexual Assault (MCASA) provided training about sexual assault issues at thirty-nine events to 1,320 individuals.  Those trained included health care providers, prosecutors, law enforcement officers, advocates, and others.  Trainings for nurses and social workers offered continuing education credits, processed at no cost to the participants. 

The training series placed an emphasis on the military response to sexual assault.  Training was provided to personnel at Keesler Air Force Base (AFB), and consultation provided to Camp Shelby, a U.S. Army base that is a departure point for war deployment.  Fifty-six military service professionals received training on the initial response to sexual assault victims and the prevention of sexual assault.  A meeting was held with the Keesler AFB commander and the base sexual assault response team (SART) to discuss ways to revive the Keesler SANE program that was discontinued during the recovery from Hurricane Katrina.  Two Keesler nurses attended the SANE course to begin building personnel resources.

An important feature of the training program is the support of regional trainers to provide further training at the local level.  Hospitals throughout the state now have sexual assault nurse examiners (SANEs) who are trained to perform the in-service Emergency Department Care for Victims of Sexual Assault.  The trainers are provided with a CD containing PowerPoint slides and handout materials.  Local hospital SANE services fund the provision of the workshops in their catchment areas.  The workshops award both nursing and social work continuing education units.

Basic sexual assault forensic nursing was taught in three 40-hour SANE courses for seventy-six nurses and eight advocates. The SANE curriculum has been completely updated to reflect national standards recommended by the U.S. Department of Justice and the Centers for Disease Control.  The course awards nursing continuing education credit provided by the University of Mississippi School of Nursing, and participants are also eligible to receive three hours of academic credit if they are currently enrolled in a graduate course of study.  Average pre-test scores were sixty-eight, and the average post-test scores were ninety-six.

MCASA provides continuing technical assistance to SANE programs on issues as HIV/STD prophylaxis for victims, developing mechanisms for better patient care, creating referral networks for complex cases, performing suspect exams, and reimbursement issues.