Select Group of Nurses Honored in Mercer County at Juniper Village at Shenango

As Reported by WKBN 27 News

Nurses who deal with domestic and sexual violence were honored Thursday morning at a breakfast at Juniper Village at the Shenango Inn in Sharon.

Pennsylvania’s former first lady, Michelle Ridge, was in attendance. It was hosted by Aware, Mercer County’s Domestic and Sexual Violence Victim Services Agency.

The 17 nurses honored are known as Sexual Assault Nurse Examiners, or SANE. They are on call 24 hours a day, 365 days a year.

They deal with both adult and child rape victims and are certified in forensics. When a domestic violence or sexual assault victim goes to the emergency room at Sharon Regional Hospital, UPMC in Sharon and Farrell or Grove City Medical Center, the trained nurses respond.

“They provide compassionate care. They also do the forensic evaluation to help the police and the prosecutor do the investigation to remove sex offenders from our community,” Lizette Olsen of Mercer County Aware said.

Mercer County’s rape response team is the only program like it in the state and is paid for through grant funding.