The $1.5 million in grant funding came from the Health Resources and Services Administration, with the project beginning in July 2024.
Tennessee Technological University is utilizing its recent grant award from the Health Resources and Services Administration to expand training for sexual assault nurse examiner through the university’s Whitson-Hester School of Nursing. The training has been underway since July of 2024, with 26 nurses having received the training in 2025 alone. The training gives nurses additional knowledge and skills for working with survivors of sexual assault, services which until recently have not been available in the community.
According to an article on Tennessee Technological University’s website, Ann Hellman, who is a professor of nursing and the co-principal investigator on the grant, was quoted as saying of the project, “This is the third grant we’ve gotten on this topic. We started trying to bring sexual assault nurse examiner services to our community about 10 years ago. Despite Putnam County having the population it does, for many years we did not have these services available in our region, so survivors had to travel to Nashville, Knoxville or Chattanooga. We’re now able to train nurses to provide this compassionate care to the community at Cookeville Regional Medical Center.”
Nurses who receive training to work as sexual assault nurse examiners gain more nursing skills through the International Association of Forensic Nurses. This training includes an additional 40 hours in the classroom and 16 hours of clinical work. This training is trauma-informed, meaning nurses will learn to understand how trauma can affect someone’s brain and their body. They will learn how to conduct interviews, collect evidence, and document and photograph injuries.
“We may spend three to four hours doing an interview, assessment and evidence collection. We serve solely to provide specialized care for sexual assault survivors, complementing law enforcement efforts and reducing the demand on hospital staff time and resources,” said Shelia Hurley, a professor of nursing and the principal investigator for the grant. “We’re so fortunate to be part of a safe college campus in a safe and supportive community like Cookeville, but sexual assault can happen anywhere. Having trained SANEs available ensures survivors receive the medical attention and support they need, without having to leave their community.”
Through the program to train sexual assault nurse examiners, Tennessee Tech nursing faculty are working closely with various community organizations, like the Cookeville Regional Medical Center, the Putnam County Justice Center, the Putnam County Sheriff’s Office, the Cookeville Police Department, the District Attorney’s Office, and Genesis House, which provides resources and support to survivors of domestic violence and sexual violence.
Amy Rich, the chief nursing officer at Cookeville Regional Medical Center, said, “At CRMC, our mission has been one of building healthier communities – so this partnership with Tennessee Tech is deeply important to us, and to our patients. The professionalism, skill and compassion of our Tennessee Tech-trained nurses are an asset to this hospital and this region, especially for those impacted by traumatic events like sexual assault.”
The program has been successful so far and through this grant from the Health Resources and Services Administration will run through June 2027.
“We’ve heard it from patients, we’ve heard it from advocates from Genesis House and from law enforcement – they’re so appreciative that we have this ability to help them in this way. So, knowing that these services will continue into the future, even after Shelia and I may no longer be doing this, is very important to us,” said Hellman.
For more information about Tennessee Technological University, visit the school’s website.