Pittsburg State University Receives $800,000 Grant to Fund Sexual Assault Nurse Training

Pittsburg State University’s (PSU) Irene Ransom Bradley School of Nursing has received a federal nursing grant to fund its Advanced Nurse Education Sexual Assault Nurse Examiner (SANE) program. The $800,288 grant will be distributed over three years, and PSU is one of 19 institutions to receive the federal grant.

The grant was announced by Senator Jerry Moran (R.-Kansas) who lauded PSU for its commitment to equipping healthcare professionals to care for victims of sexual assault. He tells MorningSun.net, “This place is a role model for Kansans. The school’s ability to bring federal grant dollars back to Kansas is extremely valuable, and the grants announced today will empower nurses to advance their education and place an emphasis on serving communities in need of their skills.”

SANE nurses are registered nurses who have completed specialized education in medical forensic care of patients who have experienced sexual abuse. There is currently only one SANE nurse serving Crawford County. PSU alum Wendy Overstreet will use her expertise to serve as coordinator for the SANE Program at PSU.

Overstreet has limited her care to pediatric patients because she is the only SANE nurse in the area. Adults over the age of 17 are sent to other counties, and sometimes other states to be examined, which can come at great personal and financial cost. She hopes that having more SANE nurses will help keep victims in the county and lead to an increase in incident report and follow through on prosecution. The university hopes to eventually expand sexual assault nurse examiner access to eight surrounding counties.

To learn more about Pittsburg State University’s $800,000 grant to fund sexual assault nurse training, visit here.