Attorney General and Ottumwa Regional hold SANE training to expand care for sexual assault survivors
August 07, 2026
By Maddie Lee
OTTUMWA, Iowa — Survivors of sexual assault in southeast Iowa could soon have greater access to specialized care, as nurses from across the region trained to become Sexual Assault Nurse Examiners (SANE) at Ottumwa Regional Health Center on Wednesday.
Hosted by the Victim Assistance Section of the Iowa Attorney General's Office, the training is designed to expand the number of certified nurses who can care for sexual assault survivors and collect forensic evidence.
“We have not had a SANE examiner, or a sexual assault nurse examiner, in our building for a little while,” explained ORHC Emergency Department Director, Samantha Haney. “So, when these patients do come in, nurses tend to panic a little bit. What do we do? We want to make sure that it's right. We don't want to mess up the kits. We want to protect the patient. We want to make sure that if it does have to go to a trial, that the evidence that we've collected is the appropriate thing.”
Haney says that 11 ORHC nurses signed up for the training as soon as it became available, with more hoping to participate in future trainings.
Having certified nurses available means survivors who want a SANE nurse will be able to receive that specialized care close to home rather than being transferred to larger hospitals.
“You know, we see more sexual assaults here than I would like to see,” Haney said. “I think after we get this class up and going, we're going to see more. Just because working with local PD, other hospitals, they will bring those patients to us and allow us to care for them.”
Iowa Attorney General Brenna Bird told KTVO that she hired a nurse for her office knowing these trainings needed to be brought to communities across the state, not just Des Moines.
“One of the things that's important to me as Attorney General and as a prosecutor is making sure that we prosecute criminals who commit sexual assault,” Bird said. “And having trained nurses and help around the state is essential to doing that.”
She added that the SANE trainings are just one way that Iowa is working to better support victims of crime.
“For example, we just passed a law that I recommended saying that sexual assault victims should be entitled to a lifetime protective order, so they don't have to go back to court to continue renewing their protective order to keep the person who raped them away from them. So, things like that. We're always looking for ways that we can improve the system,” said Bird.
Haney told KTVO that one important aspect of the training is that it goes beyond collecting evidence.
“This is worse than the worst day that they can have,” Haney said. “And so, part of this class is teaching us, how do you also, you know, relate to your patient? Sit down and talk to your patient. Make sure your patient trusts you because that's kind of the big thing. I mean, I can walk into a room, but, if they don't trust me, they're not going to let us proceed with our exams and everything.”
Haney hopes increasing the number of SANE-trained nurses in southeast Iowa will not only improve access to specialized care but also encourage more survivors to seek help and connect with the resources available to them.