Join the Twitter Chat Conversation on April 4

OMAHA - The SANE/SART program at Methodist Hospital and Methodist Women’s Hospital provided care to 400 survivors of sexual assault, domestic violence and human trafficking in 2016.

That’s an average of 33 cases per month.

On the national level, 12.7 million people are physically abused, raped or stalked – that’s 24 people every minute.

“Sexual assault, domestic violence and human trafficking in the Omaha community is certainly not going away,” said Anne Boatright, coordinator of the Methodist Sexual Assault Nurse Examiner program. “Our efforts in 2016 are indicative of a trend that is consistent with what’s happening around the country.”

It’s why Boatright and her team of nurses will be joined by other community organizations, media partners, law enforcement and others for the 5^th annual SANE/SART Twitter Chat Tuesday, April 4, from noon to 1 p.m.

Held in conjunction with Sexual Assault Awareness Month, the chat will cover the topics of sexual assault, domestic violence and human trafficking. Statistics, educational information, resources and prevention tips will all be shared.

SANE, which stands for Sexual Assault Nurse Examiner, is a medical provider who has expertise in the care, treatment and evidence collection specific to these situations. The SART (Sexual Assault Response Team) includes the SANE nurse, a physician, victim advocate and law enforcement. Methodist offers the only forensic program in the state of Nebraska.

The Heidi Wilke SANE/SART program at Methodist Hospital and Methodist Women’s Hospital began caring for victims of sexual assault in 2003. In that first year, the forensic nursing team saw 27 cases of sexual assault. After adding services to care for those impacted by domestic violence in late 2014, the number of cases soared to more than 300 in 2015.

“Because this issue is not going away we have to do all that we can to continue to raise awareness about the care, services and support available to survivors of these horrific crimes in the Omaha community,” Boatright said. “We all work so collaboratively on these issues and it’s a testament to our passion for this cause that we all come together for this social media event.”

Participation is easy. Hop on Twitter at noon on April 4, follow @MethodistHealth and join the conversation using #NoMore. Questions and information that day will focus on the prevalence of sexual assault, human trafficking and domestic violence in Omaha; the impact of technology/social media; and resources available.

“Together, we can make strides on these issues,” Boatright said. “We may not be able to end these crimes, but by continuing to keep this topic at the forefront we hope to decrease them dramatically.”