Brookings Health Care received a new camera to help collect evidence for sexual assault survivors.
The camera was donated by the Hennepin Assault Response Team in Minnesota as a part of their Train to Retain program that assists rural health care facilities and increases access to post-assault care, according to a press release from Brookings Health
The cameras will be used by sexual assault nurse examiners (SANE) who are specialized in providing care to sexual assault survivors.
“We provide trauma-informed, compassionate, comprehensive exams with both medical and legal implications in mind,” Nancy DeBoer, RN, a trained SANE at Brookings Health said in a press release. “We work closely with patient advocates from the Brookings Domestic Abuse Shelter to ensure patients have knowledge on resources outside of the hospital.”
This new camera will be used to collect forensic evidence of injuries, bruising, or other cuts after a sexual assault.
“We can document [injuries] in photographs then that way the patient has that evidence if they ever decide to report that assault to law enforcement,” DeBoer said.
Brookings Health had a camera before, but it took low quality photos that made it difficult to see the full extent of injuries. The new camera has higher quality images and shows difference in skin tones so bruising and other injuries will be presented more accurately. It will also help Brooking Health take better care of their patients and help patients if or when they decide to report their assault to the police, according to DeBoer.
“[The camera] will help us SANE nurses do a much better job of helping our patients when they present with reports of assault,” DeBoer said. “We also document the injuries on paper, we describe them, measure them, that type of thing but sometimes having that quality photographic evidence can be a real boost to that patient’s case should they decide to report to law enforcement.”
This camera is easier to use, presents the account of an incident much more clearly and helps provide physical evidence to back up survivor’s accounts of the incidents, DeBoer said.
Assault survivors can seek help at Brookings Health emergency department or call the hospital with any questions.
