Illinois § 7.1

§ 7.1.

Sexual assault nurse examiner pilot program. (a) Legislative findings and intent. The General Assembly finds that the compassionate treatment of sexual assault victims in hospital emergency rooms is necessary to help alleviate the suffering of sexual assault victims. The General Assembly also finds that the effective collection and presentation of forensic evidence in sexual assault cases is necessary to increase the success rate of prosecutions for sex crimes in Illinois. The General Assembly intends to create a pilot program to establish 4 sexual assault nurse examiner (SANE) projects in the State of Illinois. For each project, specially trained sexual assault nurse examiners or specially trained sexual assault physician examiners will provide health assessments and collect forensic evidence from sexual assault victims in the emergency room. The sexual assault nurse examiners or sexual assault physician examiners will also testify to victims' injuries during criminal prosecutions. (b) Definitions. In this Section: (1) "Sexual assault nurse examiner" means a registered nurse who has completed a sexual assault nurse examiner (SANE) training program that meets the Forensic Sexual Assault Nurse Examiner Education Guidelines established by the International Association of Forensic Nurses. (2) "Sexual assault physician examiner" means a physician licensed to practice medicine in all its branches who has completed a sexual assault nurse examiner (SANE) training program that meets the Forensic Sexual Assault Nurse Examiner Education Guidelines established by the International Association of Forensic Nurses. (3) "Hospital" means a facility licensed by the Department of Public Health under the Hospital Licensing Act or that meets both the definition of hospital and the exemption provisions of that Act. (4) "Hospital emergency services" means the health care delivered to outpatients within or under the care and supervision of personnel working in a designated emergency department or emergency room of a hospital. (c) SANE pilot program. The Authority shall, subject to appropriation, establish a SANE pilot program to operate 4 pilot projects in Illinois. The projects shall be established in the emergency rooms of hospitals in 4 counties geographically distributed throughout the State. Hospitals located throughout the State may apply to the Authority to participate in the program. Each project must provide the following services: (1) Compassionate health assessment and effective forensic evidence collection for sexual assault victims by a trained sexual assault nurse examiner or sexual assault physician examiner in a hospital emergency room as part of the provision of hospital emergency services. (2) Presentation of testimony regarding victims' injuries during criminal prosecutions for sex offenses. (d) Each of the SANE projects established under this pilot program must, at a minimum, meet the Sexual Assault Nurse Examiner Standards of Practice established by the International Association of Forensic Nurses. (e) Each of the 4 pilot projects established by the Authority under this Section shall be in existence for a minimum of 3 years. (f) Report. No later than 2 years after the establishment of pilot projects under this Section, the Authority must report to the General Assembly on the efficacy of SANE programs. (g) Rules. The Authority shall adopt rules to implement this Section. (Source: P.A. 91-529, eff. 1-1-00.)