WATCH: SANEs and survivors in the South, a listening session with the Gulf States Newsroom

In partnership with Type Investigations, public health reporter Drew Hawkins spent more than a year investigating the challenges that survivors and nurses in the Gulf South face in accessing trauma-informed forensic care in sexual assault cases. One of the biggest hurdles he discovered was the shortage of sexual assault nurse examiners in the region. 

Drew produced a longread feature and an episode of the Gulf States Gumbo on this subject. On Thursday, July 17, the Gulf States Newsroom hosted a virtual discussion of Drew’s reporting — highlighting its impact with survivors, advocates and health care professionals. Drew was joined by community engagement producer Nellie Beckett and a panel of experts, including: 

• Sharlotta Sharp, RN, SANE-A, SANE-P, a special projects coordinator and state SANE coordinator for Mississippi Coalition Against Sexual Assault. She is also a TeleSANE for the University of Arkansas Medical Science Systems and a Consultant for the Department of Defense.
• Julie Ford, a survivor of sexual assault and PhD student who studies the experiences of survivors of violence. She also volunteers with local organization Crime Survivors NOLA, who provide a free guide to help people navigate complex systems after violent crime.
• Morgan Lamandre, Esq., the CEO of Sexual Trauma Awareness & Response (STAR), a non-profit sexual assault center with three locations in Louisiana. Morgan has been involved with the organization since 2007, beginning as a volunteer hospital advocate and becoming a full-time staff member in 2013.

You can watch the full listening session below.