Media Contact: Michael Schwartzberg, Media Relations Manager
(Office: 443-849-2126/Cell: 410-258-3465)

GBMC Opens New Sexual Assault Forensic Examination Treatment Area

BALTIMORE, Md. – October 11, 2006 – When their pagers go off, whether in the middle of a weekday or the middle of the night, a group of Greater Baltimore Medical Center nurses know their advanced forensics training is being called upon to help a victim of sexual assault by providing care, collecting forensic evidence, and helping coordinate counseling and support services.

On the morning of October 16, with the opening of GBMC’s newly constructed Sexual Assault Forensic Examination suite, these SAFE nurses will have private and confidential office and examination space, room for detectives to work, and facilities for evidence processing.  Prior, SAFE nurses used whatever space may have been available in the main Emergency Department for their exams and interviews.  GBMC has been operating the SAFE program, one of 19 statewide, since 1988 and  is the only hospital in Baltimore County with a unit dedicated to treating adult (age 13+) victims of sexual assault.

The new four-room SAFE suite dedicated solely to caring for sexual assault cases includes an exam room, a bathroom where patients can shower, a room for law enforcement to interview patients and complete reports, and office space.

“Treating patients in a busy emergency department setting can be overwhelming to some,” said Nancy Berill, MSN, BSN, RN, BS, FNE-A, clinical manager of the SAFE program. “Now we have a dedicated space that is very private with all the equipment set up permanently in one location.” 

Noting that  October marks National Domestic Violence Awareness Month, Berill added, “Domestic violence and sexual assault often go hand in hand and sexual assault can often be a very large part of what domestic violence victims experience in their relationships.” 

Mary Wieler, of Roland Park, whose Wieler Family Private Foundation is a donor to the SAFE program, has been an instrumental supporter and advocate for the unit.  "I am proud to support the creation of this state-of-the-art facility to support our citizens at their most vulnerable moment,” she said.

“Judges, juries and others involved in the criminal justice system make critical decisions based upon evidence collected through the SAFE program,” said  the Baltimore County Circuit Court Associate Judge Vicki Ballou-Watts, who is also a GBMC HealthCare board member.  “The new SAFE unit will allow specially trained professionals to perform important work in a private and secure environment.”

For forensic exams conducted at GBMC’s SAFE unit through June 2006:

• 30 percent for reported sexual assault involved alcohol use.
• 67 percent were conducted on victims ages 13-24.
• Only 17 percent were the result of stranger assaults.  In 60 percent, the alleged attack was perpetrated by a suspect known to the victim – most frequently after a social occasion.

SAFE Nurse Highlights

Nancy Berill, MSN, RN, BS, FNE-A, of York, Penn., has been a GBMC nurse for six years, five of which have been spent in SAFE nursing.  During her 11-year nursing career she has also worked in pediatrics and in the operating room.  “I have a very strong science background and was intrigued by the role of the forensic nurse who is responsible for everything from patient care to evidence collection,” Berill said.  “Forensic nurses are able to help victims in so many ways. It is a life sustaining feeling to help someone after they have gone through such a traumatic event and positively affect someone for the rest of their lives in a very short period of time.” However, she cautioned, “This work is very intense and far from glamorous like CSI.  It is exhausting and not for everyone.” 

Sabrina Bruce-Rivera, RN, FNE-A, of Randallstown, has been a SAFE nurse at GBMC for one year, and a nurse for eight years, having also worked in medical/surgical units and nursing education.  “I thought it was very interesting to incorporate forensics with nursing and I wanted to use my skills to help comfort victims,” Bruce-Rivera said. 

Susan Garcia-Woody, RN, MA, FNE-A, of Towson, has been a SAFE nurse at GBMC for the past one-and-a-half years, after working in psychiatric, labor & delivery, orthopedics nursing and managed care.  Garcia-Woody enjoys SAFE nursing “because I’m able to have a positive impact for patients in a difficult situation.”

Christine Hsiao, RN, BSN, FNE-A, of Timonium has been with the SAFE program for one year, a GBMC nurse for six years, and in the nursing field for 13 years.  Hsiao chose SAFE nursing because “I wanted something that was new and challenging and wanted to be able to provide care for patients who have been physically or mentally traumatized.”

Linda Kelly,  RN, FNE-A, of Monkton, has been a SAFE nurse at GBMC for one-and-a-half years, and has also worked in geriatrics and surgical nursing following a career in the health insurance industry.  “SAFE nursing provides the opportunity to make a difference during very intense moments in a woman's life.” 

SAFE Background

Maryland is one of the few states which grants licensing, oversight and regulatory authority of forensic nurse examiners to its state nursing board.  A nurse must be a licensed practicing nurse for at least 18 months, gain 40 hours of additional classroom education, 40 hours of specialized clinical practice and observe a number of cases under a mentor before they can apply for the certification.

GBMC was the first SAFE operation in Maryland to use Thorough Assault Case Tracking software which allows forensic nurses to electronically record and manage all details of each case individually, and also permits cases to be compared using a variety of criteria.  

Benefits of the SAFE program include: Improved and consistent evidence collection; providing expert witness testimony for the court system; and providing appropriate referrals for victims of sexual assault. 

Victims of sexual assault ages 13 and up are referred to the SAFE program by criminal justice agencies, emergency medical services personnel, private physicians, and healthcare organizations. Victims may also enter the Emergency Department independently seeking treatment for an alleged sexual assault.

Editor’s Note: SAFE nurses are available for media interviews and tours of the new facility are available during a staff Open House on Wednesday, Oct. 25, 8 a.m.-4 p.m.  Please contact Michael Schwartzberg if you are interested.

About GBMC

GBMC includes Greater Baltimore Medical Center (GBMC), Central Maryland’s leading community hospital; Hospice of Baltimore, which provides comfort and care to patients with life-limiting illnesses; and the GBMC Foundation, which supports the GBMC mission by managing fundraising efforts.  The 292-bed Medical Center, located on a beautiful suburban campus, serves nearly 22,000 inpatients annually and provides approximately 60,000 emergency room visits. For more information, go to www.gbmc.org

Editor’s Note: SAFE nurses are available for media interviews and tours of the new facility are available during a staff Open House on Wednesday, Oct. 25, 8 a.m.-4 p.m.  Please contact Michael Schwartzberg if you are interested.

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