In rural Oklahoma, sexual assault survivors are hours away from help. Public Eye investigates why
A recent report from USA Today about the availability of sexual assault nurse examiners showed that, in some parts of the country, a survivor could be forced to drive for hours to see the nearest professional.
There's also no national directory showing where someone can find sexual assault nurse examiner, or SANE, services. A 2022 federal law required the creation of a directory, but Congress did not allocate funding for it.
That led Public Eye to ask about the status of Oklahoma's sexual assault nurse examiner programs and where we're headed.
The problem: Sexual assault survivors face a long drive to get help
The Rape, Abuse and Incest National Network estimates that someone is sexually assaulted in the United States every 68 seconds. Medical care afterward is key to addressing physical and mental health needs and collecting evidence.
Forensic exams performed by sexual assault nurse examiners can include urgent medical treatment, a full body examination, DNA collection and photographic documentation. According to the U.S. Department of Justice’s Office for Victims of Crime, the availability of the nurse examiner programs increases sexual assault reporting rates, the number of charges filed, conviction rates and the average sentence times for offenders.
But none of that matters if the nearest nurse examiner is hard to reach.
Kasey Magness, the new forensic nurse administrator for the Tulsa Police Department, told Public Eye that her predecessor, Kathy Bell, wrote and won a grant last year to expand sexual assault nurse examiner programs across the state, particularly in "deserts" where there are none nearby.
She wanted to be able to throw a dart at a map of Oklahoma and have it land within about an hour's drive of a nurse examiner program.
"And so our goal is to try to cover the state to where the most somebody would have to travel would be 60 miles," Magness said.
More: Public Eye investigates issues that impact you. This is what we've found so far
What we found: Deserts in western Oklahoma
There are sexual assault nurse examiner programs in each of Oklahoma's metropolitan areas and many are scattered throughout central and eastern Oklahoma. Out west, it's a different story.
"If you are sexually assaulted in the Panhandle, we had patients that were going from there to Woodward, which was two to three hours away," said Magness.
Out of about three dozen programs across the state, fewer than 10 are west of Interstate 35.
"We've heard several times from the western side of the state that when you have patients that are having to wait, or that are having to make that decision to drive a few hours one way to get an exam, they're not getting the exam," Magness said. "They've already been through a very traumatic process and they don't want to wait any longer."
While nurse examiner providers collect evidence and testify in court, their first job is to provide medical care to survivors. Some victims might not even seek help from law enforcement, which could make it that much harder to connect with the medical help they need.
The fix: New programs and statewide support
The $500,000 in DOJ grant money is being used to launch five new programs in rural Oklahoma. Those cities include Ada, Durant, Elk City, Altus and Hooker, the last of which is in the Panhandle.
Part of the project is meant to bolster the state's ability to examine pediatric patients. Some of the money is also paying the salary of a statewide sexual assault nurse examiner coordinator.
Magness praised the Oklahoma Legislature for increasing nurse pay this year and said that when the grant money runs out in 2025, she hopes lawmakers will carve out enough funding to keep the coordinator role staffed so that all of the programs will be on the same page.
The coordinator role was nearly created in legislation this year but it didn't reach the governor's desk. In an effort to reduce Oklahoma's backlog of untested examination kits, lawmakers were able to pass a law that allows the Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation to inquire about the location of kits that have not yet been submitted to an accredited crime laboratory.
"Continuing that statewide SANE coordinator position, I think, is going to be pivotal in keeping our upward trajectory and getting these patients taken care of," Magness said.
Do you have concerns about the availability of government services in your area? Let us know your situation at publiceye@oklahoman.com.
This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: Rural Oklahoma a 'desert' for sexual assault care. What's being done?
