Montana State University, Mark and Robyn Jones College of Nursing Sherrick Hall, Room 115, PO Box 173560 Bozeman, MT 59717-3560 PD: Stacy Stellflug, PhD, Assistant Professor College of Nursing Email: stacy.stellflug@montana.edu Phone: (406) 657-1740 Website: http://www.montana.edu/nursing/index.html Grant Funds Requested: $1,499,988 Funding Preference and Special Consideration: This program serves rural and underserved communities throughout Montana (Qualifications 1 and 2). Documentation is found in Attachment 7. The Montana SANE Consortium will serve all of Montana. The rural nature of Montana is demonstrated by the fact that over 40% of its citizens live outside of incorporated cities and towns, with over 75% of the population living in areas classified as rural and frontier. The size of Montana, low population density, and many residents living in rural and frontier areas illustrate the challenge of providing accessible quality care for sexual assault survivors. American Indians represent the largest number of underserved minority communities in the state. Consortium members include Montana State University’s Mark and Robyn Jones College of Nursing as lead and applicant, the Montana Department of Justice Division of Criminal Investigation Office of Victim Services, the Montana Office of Rural Health/Area Health Education Center, University of Montana’s Rural Institute for Inclusive Communities, Montana Health Network, Montana Hospital Association. Goal: Increased supply, distribution, and quality of Sexual Assault Nurse Examiners (SANEs) to provide access to trauma-informed mental and physical care for survivors of sexual assault and domestic violence throughout Montana communities. Objective 1: Increase the number, quality, and accessibility of SANE training in Montana by building the capacity to deliver clinical skills training locally. Strategies include developing the capacity to deliver training locally and enhancing cur
ricula to reflect Montana’s populations. Objective 2: Increase the number of SANE trained nurses in Montana by 40-50 annually and certified SANE’s by 3 annually in Montana. Strategies include recruiting trainees from underserved communities, providing support and guidance in completing training and obtaining certification, and delivering skills training within the state. Objective 3: Expand access to sexual assault forensic examinations in Montana’s rural, frontier, and underserved communities through recruitment, training, and building institutional support SANE nurses and safe spaces. Strategies include addressing structural and systemic barriers to examiner training and practice, exploring Tele-SANE strategies, and adding SANE training as an option for undergrad and graduate nursing students. Objective 4: Enhance the quality of care for survivors by fostering an environment that supports SANE training, practice, and retention throughout Montana. Strategies include building a network of support to improve retention and mitigate geographic and role isolation, as well as sharing and learning about best practices from other grantees. Objective 5: The Rural Institute for Inclusive Communities at the University of Montana will conduct a comprehensive programmatic evaluation. Strategies include utilizing the DOJ-led SART Committee as an advisory body and a robust evaluation plan measuring performance and providing a continuous quality improvement framework.