We are excited to announce that Dr. Ann Hellman and Dr. Shelia Hurley have recently been awarded a grant to start a SANE (Sexual Assault Nurse Examiner) program at Health Services. This is something that has been needed in the Tech and Cookeville communities for some time. SANEs are RNs who have been trained to provide comprehensive care to sexual assault patients and to show compassion and sensitivity to survivors of sexual assault. They have competency in evidence collection and court testimony. This program will be serving members of the Tennessee Tech community affected by sexual violence including students, staff, and faculty. As part of this grant, Drs. Hellman and Hurley have also secured funds to train several Victim Advocates to support survivors. Erin Murray, previously of Project AWAKEN, will be working with ASPIRES as a Victim Advocate. Current plans are for the grant to launch January, 10, 2022. Stay tuned for more details as we approach the new year.