Penn Highlands program aims to enhance sexual assault care in Centre County

Penn Highlands State College launched a new program Tuesday that officials believe will enhance sexual assault care in Centre County.

The Sexual Assault Forensic Examination Telehealth (SAFE-T) System was formed in 2017 in the Penn State Ross and Carol Nese College of Nursing and allows for Penn Highland’s team of seven sexual assault nurse examiners (SANEs) to connect virtually during forensic exams with nurses who are experts in such examinations.

These virtual examiners, called “teleSANEs” by Sheridan Miyamoto, the SAFE-T Center’s director and principal investigator, will help guide the in-person examiner on what to do during an exam and also serve as a peer reviewer for any questions the in-person examiner may have. The teleSANEs will note any additional physical signs of sexual assault and help make both the patient and the in-person examiner feel more comfortable during the exam.

“Having another option for our community members for medical care, whether connected to sexual assault care or otherwise, is incredibly beneficial for our clients and for the community at large, so people get to make informed decisions about their medical care and next steps,” Centre Safe Executive Director Jennifer Pencek said.

The teleSANE-assisted exams are available 24 hours a day, seven days a week, and are connected to the in-person examiner through a system installed on a completely locked-down iPhone or iPad, meaning that aside from providing the SAFE-T service, the technology cannot serve any other purpose.

“Our team’s partnership with the SAFE-T System is going to be a great asset for this region,” Amanda Myers, Penn Highlands’ SANE site champion, said. “No other hospital in Centre County offers this affiliation that provides a high level of sensitive care. Sensitive care is attentive to specific needs and sensitivities of the patient, and includes individualized treatment, tailored support and a compassionate approach that understands and respects unique experiences and perspectives of those receiving the care.”

The SAFE-T system machinery can also zoom in up to ten times to take high-resolution photos of any sexual assault evidence found on a patient during the exam, all while keeping those photos secure.

The system’s zoom-in ability and photo quality was demonstrated on a bouquet of flowers during a launch event Tuesday.

Once a photo is taken, within three seconds it’s automatically removed from the device and transferred to an online cloud that’s created for only that patient and their health care providers.

“We understand that there is a need for privacy and security for these exams and handling of this patient data, so we want to make sure we are good partners and keepers of that data,” said Ian Spears, the SAFE-T Center’s information technology consultant.

With the Penn Highlands State College program now officially underway, Miyamoto is hoping to replicate some of the benefits the SAFE-T System have brought to other facilities.

According to a presentation shared Tuesday, about 94% of patients who took a forensic sexual assault exam with a SAFE-T examiner present rated the care as “excellent” or “very good.” Around 88 to 100% of those patients shared that their pre-exam worries were alleviated during the SAFE-T System exam as well.

“For anybody who’s out there that says that these exams are traumatizing and difficult — yes, it’s for sure a step that is a challenging one for a survivor to walk through,” Miyamoto said. “But clearly, the healing benefits and [the patients] feeling believed, feeling like they get the care they need, is a substantial piece of them getting better.”

The SAFE-T System also notifies an advocate from Centre Safe each time a forensic exam takes place.

“Our job as [the patient’s] advocate is to speak with them about our services and explain the sexual assault exam in detail, discussing with them the various steps involved and their rights as the patient,” Pencek said. “We are there to help them in ways that they feel comfortable with, and work toward making sure they are not re-traumatized in the process.”

For more information about the SAFE-T system, visit safe-tsystem.com