FOND DU LAC (NBC 26) — Survivors of domestic violence and sexual assault in Fond du Lac can now receive medical care close to home with a new program at Aurora Medical Center.
- Aurora Medical Center in Fond du Lac now offers more resources to survivors of domestic violence and sexual assault with S.A.N.E., or sexual assault nurse examiners.
- The program is the first of its kind in Fond du Lac and survivors no longer have to travel to Oshkosh for care.
- Forensic nurses can provide services like like sexual assault evidence kits, forensic photography, and medications to prevent STDs.
- Video shows more information on forensic nursing and how it can help victims in the community.
Fond du Lac Police Chief Aaron Goldstein said domestic violence is the leading cause of violent crime in Fond du Lac, with 560 cases in 2023.
"That's unacceptable, one incident that domestic violence is unacceptable," Chief Goldstein said.
But for many years, Fond du Lac didn’t have a hospital that could provide proper care for victims, like sexual assault evidence kits, forensic photography, and medications to prevent STDs. So, victims would have to drive to Oshkosh to receive care.
"Sometimes following just the worst traumatic event that the survivor can have, now we're asking them to take a trip outside our county, which sometimes might be a half hour to an hour up to Oshkosh for these forensic medical services," Chief Goldstein said.
Now, Aurora Medical Center in Fond du Lac is offering resources to victims through S.A.N.E., or sexual assault nurse examiners, who receive special training in sexual assault and domestic violence care.
"It's very important that [victims] come in and seek help from a professional forensic nurse, because she has that background of education that can provide that trauma informed care," said Brenda Doolittle, Aurora Forensic Nurse Manager.
Doolittle said having this program in Fond du Lac could encourage more victims to get help.
"We would have patients that were coming to a Fond du Lac hospital, but they didn't have services in this area at the time, and they would not want to travel to Oshkosh so then they wouldn't have any services by anyone, which was very unfortunate," Doolittle said.
Doolittle said after the examination and collection of evidence, the forensic nurses will connect the patient to other resources in the community that help victims of domestic violence.
"After we're done, we kind of make a bond with them, and then they seem a little better," Doolittle said. "They have a little bit more hope."
This program began on Oct. 1, and the hospital emergency department just opened in May of this year.
