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Area nurses provide education and support for area survivors of sexual assault

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Jenny Snedden, left, and Jen Radl, right, have been trained as sexual assault nurse examiners and have started a sexual assault response team for all of Clayton County. (Press photo by Molly Moser)

By Molly Moser

Two area nurses are helping raise awareness about sexual assault in Clayton County. Jenny Snedden of New Vienna and Jen Radl of Guttenberg, both nurses at Guttenberg Municipal Hospital, completed training as sexual assault nurse examiners (SANE) and have started a countywide sexual assault response team (SART) including nurses, advocates, the county attorney, and law enforcement.

Radl became the first SANE trained in Clayton County and Snedden followed soon after. Both received their training with scholarships funded through the Iowa Coalition Against Sexual Assault (CASA), a group specifically seeking out rural nurses to receive SANE training. 

“The number of sexual assaults in rural areas is higher than anybody would think,” said Radl. “You don’t hear about it, but it happens all the time. The majority of cases go unreported, whether it's because survivors feel embarrassed, at fault, or don’t realize that they have been sexually assaulted. The lines are blurred because of lack of education, and education is part of what Jenny and I want to do.”

Both nurses underwent powerful training, learning myths, facts, and statistics about domestic violence and sexual assault, strategies for education, how to testify in a trial, and how to collect forensic evidence following sexual assault. “We saw pictures, we heard stories – they tell us at the very beginning of class and give reminders throughout that sometimes the things we see and talk about can be triggers because statistically, some of the people in the room are survivors,” Snedden told The Press. “It was very intense.”

Helping targets of sexual assault become survivors rather than victims is one way SANE nurses learn to give support. “Initially people feel like a victim, understandably, but they need to know that this is a traumatic experience and we provide support along their journey toward healing and feeling that they are a survivor,” Radl explained.

Radl and Snedden are always on call for sexual assault cases coming into emergency rooms across the county. They are specially trained to interview survivors and base physical exams off of those interviews – looking for injuries, bruises, or marks, and collecting forensic evidence for sexual assault kits that are sent to the Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation laboratory for analysis. Advocates from the Riverview Center of Dubuque are available to support the survivor in a journey of healing, as is the police department. “Unless there was significant injury, use of a deadly weapon, or assault on a child, in which case we are mandatory reporters, it is the survivor’s choice whether they want to report to law enforcement or not,” said Radl. “Sometimes they are unsure whether they want to press charges, so they have the option of getting a kit done and not pressing charges but doing so at a later date if they decide to do so.” 

“One of the stories I hear a lot is that ‘she had a few drinks' and doesn’t report it because she thinks it’s her fault since she was drunk. That’s inaccurate. If you’re under the influence of any substance you cannot give consent,” said Snedden. “It’s just like driving under the influence – you’re not of sound mind,” Radl added. “You should never be forced into doing something, whether it’s with someone you are dating or someone you happen to meet at a party.”

Snedden is helping organize an event to honor the Riverview Center of Dubuque and the SART teams of Clayton and Dubuque Counties, where proceeds from ticket sales, silent auction, and a raffle will be donated to those groups. 

On Saturday, Feb. 13, doors for the event will open at 6 p.m. at The Smokestack in Dubuque. The Dubuque Bomb Squad roller derby team will be taking tickets, and the show opens with a performance by well-known belly dancing troupe Unda. 

The evening will culminate with a performance of The Vagina Monologues, an award-winning gathering of female voices bringing attention to domestic violence, sexual assault, body hair, and other sex-positive topics. “The Riverview Center will there with a booth to provide support, because we’re talking about hard things,” said Snedden.

The show is expected to sell out, in which case a matinee may be scheduled on the following Sunday. Tickets are available in advance and at the door of The Smokestack.  

Snedden and Radl are looking forward to educating the communities, teachers, counselors, children, and parents of Clayton County through presentations, specific training programs for young children and teenagers, and open forums. “I think education is the key thing to prevention: breaking down myths and stereotypes, and letting people know that it needs to be talked about and not shoved in the closet – especially with kids,” said Radl. Snedden added, “We realize it’s a very sensitive subject and not everybody wants to openly talk about sex. But for the people who do, here we are.”

Snedden can be reached at 920-450-5960 and Radl at 563-880-4115 for nurses interested in becoming SANE, leaders interested in setting up presentations, and survivors and their loved ones.

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