For the first time, victims of sexual assault in the Pee Dee have access to specialized, trauma-informed care without having to leave the region with the establishment of the McLeod Health Forensic Nurse Examiner (FNE) Program.

This program, years in the making, will serve adult and pediatric victims alike, at first operating out of McLeod Regional Medical Center, but with plans to eventually expand to all McLeod Health hospitals.

The McLeod FNE Team provides 24/7/365 forensic nurse coverage for victims of violence and neglect, utilizing the most-up-to-date evidence-based, trauma-informed and patient-centered forensic nursing practices.

Forensic Nurses are specifically trained to treat victims of sexual assault in a compassionate and understanding manner. They help with the physical, psychological and social trauma faced by someone who has been assaulted or abused.

“Our focus is the patient,” explains Shannon Scott, Coordinator of the McLeod Health Forensic Nurse Examiner Program. “We provide treatment, collect evidence and offer courtroom testimony when requested, but our overriding goal throughout the process is to not add to the patient’s trauma. This is what ‘trauma-informed care’ means.”

McLeod Forensic Nurses treat the following: sexual assault, domestic or intimate partner violence (if there is a sexual assault component), child abuse or neglect, and exploitation/sex trafficking.

This program was made possible by the generous support of donors to the McLeod Health Foundation.

If you are a victim of domestic violence/intimate partner violence or sexual assault, contact Pee Dee Coalition Against Domestic and Sexual Assault. The call is free, confidential and available 24 hours a day.

CRISIS HOTLINE:

Toll Free – 1-800-273-1820

Florence – (843) 669-4600

https://www.peedeecoalition.org