“The children are in a terrible situation and no one wants to talk about it,
but it’s happening,” said Tammy Herrera-Aguilera, RN. “The reason we
continue to do our jobs is just knowing every child we save from abuse
is one life changed.”
A city of more than 2 million, Houston has only two hospitals that evaluate and document
pediatric sexual abuse. In 2003, Texas Children’s nurses recognized the need for a
program to help young victims of sexual assault. At that time, two Texas Children’s nurses
were trained through the Office of the Attorney General of Texas to identify, document
and treat alleged sexual abuse, but there was a need for around-the-clock coverage.
“The biggest challenge was that our nurses would burn out,” said Forensic
Nurse Specialist Tarra Kerr, RN. “They were dealing with sexual assault
day in and day out, with little relief.”
Determined to make a difference for both the children and the nurses, Kerr and
Emergency Center Nursing Director Gail Parazynski began to develop a team that would
specifically focus on sexual assault victims. The SANE team was created in 2008. Each
team member participates in 96 hours of classroom instruction, completes several clinical
competencies and observes courtroom cases related to sexual abuse. At the completion
of their training, the nurses receive a two-year certification from the Office of the
Attorney General of Texas.
These certified nurses care for children brought to the Emergency Center because of
suspected sexual assault. Their first step – which can take minutes or hours, depending on
the child – is putting the children at ease.
“Children are smarter than we think, and a lot of times they can
articulate exactly what happened to them,” Herrera-Aguilera said. “We
encourage them to talk about it in a way they’re comfortable with until
they are able to open up to us.”
The nurses then conduct a physical examination, which includes documenting injuries,
taking digital photographs and collecting specimens for a medical forensic kit.
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