BISMARCK, N.D. – North Dakota lawmakers are considering a bill aimed at preventing rape victims from having to endure lengthy waits for sexual assault exams.
State Sen. Carolyn Nelson, the bill’s main sponsor, said a young woman in western North Dakota had to spend almost 24 hours in the clothes in which she was raped before she could receive a sexual assault exam. Such exams involve a specially trained nurse collecting physical evidence and assessing any injuries.
“Most people want to get out of that kind of situation as soon as possible, but in order to preserve all of the evidence, you have to stay in the clothing until the rape test is taken,” said Nelson, D-Fargo. “We’re trying to make it less traumatic.”
Senate Bill 2284 would set aside funds to train more nurses to do sexual assault exams, to start new sexual assault nurse programs and to support existing ones. The bill initially called for $500,000 in funding, but as it moved through the Senate, the amount was cut to $200,000, Nelson said.
The legislation would allow hospitals without a sexual assault nurse program to start one or to coordinate with a group that can give sexual assault exams. This would ensure that every victim who wants an exam receives one, according to the bill, which passed the Senate unanimously last month and now awaits review in the House.
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One of the programs that could receive funding if the bill passes is Central Dakota Forensic Nurse Examiners, a nonprofit group in Bismarck that trains sexual assault nurses.
Tisha Scheuer, the group’s executive director, said North Dakota has about 55 to 60 sexual assault nurses – many of them concentrated in cities like Fargo, Bismarck and Grand Forks. She estimates the state needs at least 40 to 50 more nurses to meet the demand of a growing population driven by an energy boom.
“One of the things that we run into is burnout because of the nature of the work. And so turnover is quite high in sexual assault nurse examiner programs,” she said.
Scheuer’s organization provides sexual assault exams in Bismarck hospitals and is developing such programs in Minot, Williston and Dickinson. Those cities have some sexual assault nurses, but need more, she said.
Scheuer said Devils Lake, a city of about 7,100 people, has no sexual assault nurses and that American Indian reservations in the state also have shortages.
Along with reducing the wait time for an exam, a better network of sexual assault nurses will help preserve valuable evidence in rape cases, Scheuer said.
“The longer we wait, the higher chance that we may lose forensic evidence that might be imperative,” she said.
