Every survivor deserves access to compassionate, trauma-informed care, regardless of where they live or which hospital they visit.
This month marks an important step forward for sexual assault response in Kentucky as KASAP launches a new statewide training package to help hospitals implement the requirements of House Bill 219 and strengthen the care provided to patients seeking a sexual assault forensic exam.
Developed in collaboration with multidisciplinary partners across the Commonwealth, the training equips emergency department personnel with the knowledge they need to respond with compassion, professionalism, and a survivor-centered approach. It also reinforces the importance of collaboration between hospitals, Sexual Assault Nurse Examiners (SANEs), rape crisis centers, and other community partners to ensure survivors receive coordinated, high-quality care.
Supporting Hospitals and Strengthening Community Response
House Bill 219 requires Kentucky hospitals to provide training for emergency department personnel involved in caring for patients seeking a sexual assault forensic exam. To support implementation, KASAP has developed a comprehensive training package that hospitals can incorporate into their existing learning management systems.
The training is designed for professionals across the emergency department, including:
- Physicians
- Nurses
- Advanced practice providers
- Registration and intake staff
- Billing personnel
- Social workers and case managers
- Risk management staff
- Hospital administrators
Training topics include:
- Trauma-informed care
- Kentucky laws related to sexual assault forensic exams
- Medical forensic examination procedures
- Evidence collection
- Crime Victims Compensation
- Pediatric sexual assault response
- Community resources and referrals
By providing consistent, statewide training, hospitals can better prepare every staff member who may interact with a survivor during one of the most difficult moments of their life.
Every Role Matters
Sexual Assault Nurse Examiners remain the gold standard for providing medical forensic care to survivors of sexual assault. Their specialized education and clinical expertise are essential to delivering high-quality care, preserving evidence, and supporting both healing and the criminal justice process.
This training is not intended to replace SANEs. Instead, it helps ensure that every hospital employee who may encounter a survivor understands their responsibilities, Kentucky’s legal requirements, and the importance of responding with compassion, dignity, and respect.
Just as importantly, the training reinforces the vital role of Kentucky’s 13 regional rape crisis centers. Under Kentucky law, hospitals are required to notify the appropriate rape crisis center whenever a patient requests a sexual assault forensic exam so that advocacy services can be offered.
Rape crisis center advocates are an essential part of a survivor’s care team. They provide crisis intervention, emotional support, information about options and victims’ rights, safety planning, and connections to counseling and other community resources. Their support often begins in the emergency department and continues long after a survivor leaves the hospital.
Trauma-informed care is a team effort. Whether someone answers the phone, greets a patient at registration, performs the forensic exam, or responds as an advocate, every interaction has the potential to help a survivor feel believed, supported, and empowered.
Building a Stronger System of Care
Kentucky has made meaningful progress in expanding access to sexual assault response services, including significant growth in the number of SANEs and SANE-ready hospitals over the past several years. While challenges remain, particularly in rural communities, continued collaboration is helping build a stronger, more consistent response for survivors across the Commonwealth.
KASAP is proud to support this work by providing statewide training, technical assistance, and resources that strengthen partnerships between hospitals, rape crisis centers, healthcare providers, law enforcement, prosecutors, and state agencies.
When communities work together, survivors benefit.
Every survivor deserves access to compassionate medical care, a skilled advocate by their side, and a coordinated response that promotes healing, preserves choice, and upholds dignity. This training is one more step toward that goal.
Want to learn more about why this training matters? Kentucky Public Radio recently highlighted Kentucky’s growing SANE workforce, ongoing access challenges, and how House Bill 219 is strengthening care for survivors. Read the article here.
