Episode Transcript
[00:00:00] Speaker A: Wvuafm, Tuscaloosa.
[00:00:08] Speaker B: Happy Sunday, y'all. You are listening to Fit to be tied with Sheena and Nika on 90.7, the capstone. And it is November, or at least by the time this is airing, it is November.
[00:00:20] Speaker C: How did we get here so fast?
[00:00:22] Speaker B: I don't know. And it's so crazy because technically, if, you know, if you are listening to the live version of this on 90.7, the Capstone on November. November 3rd. I am officially 40 today. I know, right?
[00:00:36] Speaker C: Happy birthday to the future Birthday Sheena.
[00:00:39] Speaker D: I know.
[00:00:40] Speaker C: Because as our listeners know, we do record this prior to the air date. So we're not live on a Sunday. But, hey, how are you relishing your last moments of your 30s?
[00:00:51] Speaker B: You know, I am doing pretty good, I will say, though. So, you know, I think that I shared in a previous show that we're traveling for my birthday. We're going to Mexico. We're going to the resort that we went to for my 30th, because I'm a creature of habit, for one. I want to know that I'm going to like the food where we're going. And I also felt generally safe there last time, so I was like, we'll go to the same place. Now, I will admittedly say that when we had our little huddle of volunteers for our church nursery stuff and they were taking in the week's prayer requests, I was like, y'all, I don't know what's wrong with me. I'm, like, so excited to travel for my birthday. But also, as a parent now, I'm like, am I going to get taken by the cartel? Is our plane going crash? Is. You know, it's like, so all of.
[00:01:38] Speaker C: The, like, not living for yourself anymore. You've got kids now. Yeah, yeah.
[00:01:41] Speaker B: So it's like thinking of all of those things. But I'm sure by the time this is airing, I have been over it and I am in a pool or ocean somewhere.
[00:01:50] Speaker C: Okay.
So I was gonna ask. That was my next question, but you answered it. We're not taking the kids, right?
[00:01:56] Speaker B: No, we're not taking the kids. So they are. They are with my parents in Fort Payne, Alabama. You know, I.
[00:02:03] Speaker C: Home of Alabama.
[00:02:06] Speaker B: So if you don't know who that is, if you know Dixieland Delight, you know, Alabama. Who Alabama is. But no, I think it's great. So, I mean, honestly, it's great for them to spend time with my parents. You know, my side of the family is Filipino, and so my mom has to culture them. You know, so all the things, but yes, it's November. All the things. We're getting close to Thanksgiving and you know, I wanna know. Cause I always ask you such random questions, obviously. What is your favorite Thanksgiving? Are you a Thanksgiving food kind of person?
[00:02:39] Speaker C: Green bean casserole.
[00:02:41] Speaker B: Really?
[00:02:41] Speaker C: Oh, without a doubt. I make it. I love it so much. I've loved it since childhood that I'll make it like by month, you know, like what is it? Is it biweekly, bi, monthly? What is it twice a month? I always get that confused.
[00:02:53] Speaker E: Why is it 7:56, BI Monthly?
[00:02:54] Speaker C: Is it bi monthly or does that mean every two months?
[00:02:56] Speaker B: I don't know. I don't know.
[00:02:57] Speaker C: I make it twice a month at least. And I'll eat on it for a week at a time. My kids don't love it. Cause, you know, but I live for some green bean casserole. What about you?
[00:03:07] Speaker B: So many different things, you know. Cause I feel like green bean casserole is definitely like the gateway to like all the other things. You know what I mean?
[00:03:15] Speaker C: It's like a gateway drug. Yes.
[00:03:16] Speaker B: I mean, I do like some green bean casserole. I like sweet potato based stuff. You know, your stuffing and your turkey. Now I will say so. One of our previous co hosts for Fit to be tied, Dr. John Jackson, aka JJ, he was not down with holiday food at all.
[00:03:33] Speaker C: Really.
[00:03:34] Speaker B: And that man told us on air that he gets his mother to create something that's non holiday specific just for him. And so I don't know if JJ still listens to this show, but like, that blew my mind. I tried not to shame him on air. No, but that is interesting.
[00:03:51] Speaker C: Cause I don't think I've ever. I mean, you know, like, I do know that my kids, and I'm not saying JJ's a kid, but my kids are like, hey, I still want my chicken nugget in my roll. You know, they don't really want the fancy fixings. But I love something that is holiday themed.
[00:04:10] Speaker B: I do too.
[00:04:11] Speaker C: I wait all year for it.
[00:04:13] Speaker B: Yes. And I'm glad that like, I feel like as far as spring holidays, I feel like Easter menus are very reminiscent of some like, Thanksgiving.
[00:04:21] Speaker C: Thanksgiving. Yeah. Some ham.
[00:04:22] Speaker B: So, yeah, so I do like that. But I don't know, I just had to get. I had to go on the food journey with you for a second.
[00:04:28] Speaker C: Yeah, I do, you know, love talking about food. I'm not gonna ever turn that down.
[00:04:32] Speaker B: Yeah.
[00:04:33] Speaker C: But yeah. So, okay, well, what kind of, you know, we're having to wrap up Here. But I just have to ask, you said that you love this resort cause of its food. What was your. What are you looking forward to the most?
[00:04:44] Speaker B: So they have different restaurants that are. So one is Japanese, one is Italian. There's a French restaurant, there's a Mexican restaurant, there's this Indonesian restaurant. So my husband and I really like this Japanese restaurant called Asian or not Asian Ginger. Excuse me. I don't know where my brain is going today, but the sushi, very excited about that. And then there's some other dishes that they have. And then they have a French restaurant that I really like, their filet. So I am very excited about.
I need my sushi and my red meat. Probably more so my red meat than my sushi.
[00:05:17] Speaker C: But yes. Yeah, I love it. I love it all the things.
[00:05:20] Speaker B: But okay, y'all, that is not what we are talking about today. We actually have, per usual, fabulous guests. We're going to be talking about one of our community partners today, which is really exciting. But we're going to leave that as a teaser. We're going to take a quick break, grab something to drink, run to the restroom, do what you got to do. You are listening to Fit to be tied with Sheena and Nika on 90.7, the Capstone.
[00:05:45] Speaker A: WVUAFM Tuscaloosa.
[00:05:54] Speaker C: Happy Sunday. Welcome back, listeners. You're listening to Fit to be tied with Sheena and Mika on 90.7, the capstone.
[00:06:00] Speaker B: Yes. And before the break, if you listened before the break, I'm sorry we went on a Thanksgiving food journey, but as we mentioned, that is not what we're talking about today. We're actually gonna be talking about one of our wonderful community partners that we are so proud to have in Tuscaloo, the Tuscaloosa SAFE Center. And to really discuss those services today, we have Bailey Gall, who is the outreach and education coordinator, as well as Alexis Edwards, one of the clinical coordinators. And so, ladies, thank you guys so much for joining us today.
[00:06:31] Speaker D: Thank you for having us.
[00:06:33] Speaker B: Yes, absolutely. So we're going to kick things off and we'll let y'all rock, paper, scissor with who goes first. But we like to use this segment to really get to know both of your backgrounds. So if y'all would kind of talk about your professional and academic backgrounds prior to your current roles at the SAFE Center. Yeah.
[00:06:52] Speaker D: So I originally am from Indianapolis, Indiana. This is Bailey, by the way.
And I did my undergrad at Indiana University and I got my degree in.
Oh, goodness, it's been so long. Human biology. And after that, I took a gap year and I served in AmeriCorps VISTA. So I wanted to get some experience of working in the community, but also nonprofit experience. Kind of dip my toes to see what I wanted to do for grad school, because at that time, I was really, like, I didn't honestly know what I wanted to do, but I knew that I wanted to go back.
And so it kind of helped me narrow down to, like, programs I was applying for, which were public health programs and anthropology programs.
Then I ended up coming down to UA for the anthropology masters, where I ended up getting my dual degree with public health. So it all worked out.
[00:07:49] Speaker C: We have a dual degree with you guys.
[00:07:52] Speaker B: Yep.
[00:07:53] Speaker D: And then I did about four years of the anthrophd program and took a step back to take a break at the lot. Just in general, you know, being in school that long. And so I was looking for different opportunities within the community because I didn't want to leave. And the Tuscaloosa Safe center really stuck out to me because I knew that I wanted to eventually go back into nonprofit.
And after, like, getting my master's in public health and health education, it. I mean, it was really good fit because I am the educator for Tuscaloosa Safe Center.
[00:08:28] Speaker B: I love.
[00:08:28] Speaker C: I do love that. So before we move on to Alexis, tell me a little bit about what that means, especially for our listeners, like our public health students.
What does being the educator for the Safe center look like for you?
[00:08:42] Speaker D: So a lot of presentations, a lot, like, on campuses for students. Sexual assault on college campuses is, you know, not great, just statistically wise. And so making sure that everyone is aware of our services, but also their risk is a big part of my job, especially during, like, the fall semester.
[00:09:05] Speaker E: Sure.
[00:09:06] Speaker D: But then we do a lot of, like, health education to community organizations and churches.
We do serve nine counties, so we try to. To dip our toes into all the nine counties. It is a vast range, so it looks different a little bit, like, everywhere.
[00:09:23] Speaker B: Wow. When you say nine counties, I know that we are going to have some conversation points that, you know, dive even deeper into the mission of Tuscaloosa Safe center and all that you do. But I'm already, like. That was like, a huge nugget that I just learned.
[00:09:36] Speaker D: Yeah.
[00:09:36] Speaker C: That was a mic drop. I did not realize. Nine counties.
[00:09:39] Speaker B: Yeah. No.
[00:09:41] Speaker C: And Tuscaloosa county is one of the largest counties in the state just to begin with. And let's add eight more.
[00:09:47] Speaker E: Right.
[00:09:47] Speaker D: Sometimes doing outreach. So I drive around to all the counties. I try to do it like once or twice a year and when I'm doing outreach and I see like the Tuscaloosa county line when I'm driving, I'm like, there's no way that is Tuscaloosa county still.
[00:10:01] Speaker B: How am I still this far out?
[00:10:03] Speaker D: Yeah.
[00:10:03] Speaker B: Wait a second.
[00:10:05] Speaker D: Five minutes.
[00:10:06] Speaker B: Yeah.
Now, Alexis, how about you tell us about your professional and academic background?
[00:10:11] Speaker E: Hey. So my name's Alexis. I moved here from Maryland and did my undergrad. I got my Bachelor's of science in nursing from ua, the Capstone College of Nursing. Yay roll tie. Prior to graduation, I got my EMT certification and ended up working in the trauma surgical ICU at dch. I continued to work there once I graduated and stayed there for a little while and then I kind of just hopped around for a little bit. Nursing is very unique career in that if you don't like something or you want to try something else out, there's a million different things you can do. So I hopped around a little bit and In October of 22, I had start working as a PRN or part time nurse for the Tuscaloosa Safe Center. We have an on call schedule which I think we'll talk about a little bit later. So I started doing that part time in addition to my full time job. And then in March of this year, a full time spot opened up at the SAFE center for Clinical coordinator. So I've been doing that since and I am very grateful for it. I think it's one of the best opportunities I've ever had and I love it.
And I'm actually going to be starting in January back here at UA again to get my Master's of science in nursing for nursing education.
[00:11:27] Speaker B: Nice. Awesome.
[00:11:29] Speaker C: So what does clinical coordinator look like for you every day?
[00:11:32] Speaker E: A little bit everything. A little bit everything.
So one of the major things I do is I coordinate our follow up program. So our follow up program is for our survivors who come in. They've had this initial exam done with us and within like one to two weeks I like to get them scheduled to come in for that follow up so I can check on them, see how they're doing. You know, emotionally, physically, mentally, just everything. We really like to look at the holistic picture there. We can also we partner with a community organization that does STI and HIV testing. I can make sure that there's no other resources they need, make sure they're seeking out therapy, counseling, just that they're aware of everything we have to offer and kind of that I like to tell my patients A lot at the follow up that we want to be a one stop shop for them. So if they have a question or they need something, even if it's not something we have or can do for them directly, I like to be able to direct them to someone who can. Yeah.
And then I also just the kind of day to day clinical things we need to do. Making sure medications are stocked, making sure supplies are stocked, communicating with the nurses, doing charts, reviews, making our schedule, everything. Yeah. Training our new nurses. So really just running like the day to day clinical aspect of it.
[00:12:53] Speaker C: Right. But you still get to have your hands in the actual. Just meat and potatoes and nursing.
[00:12:57] Speaker E: Yes. So you get to do it all. Yes. I am on call full time during the week on Mondays and Wednesdays, 7am to 9pm and we have 24, 7 coverage. So I cover those shifts because those are some of the harder shifts to get covered is during the week because we only have two full time nurses, me being one of them. As far as direct clinical positions, the rest of our staff is part time or as needed like I was previously. So then I also will help fill in the gaps. Like if no one wants to work Christmas or a random Saturday or a football home game, I'll help fill in those gaps in the coverage.
[00:13:35] Speaker B: No. And I'm so grateful for the fact that those key times are covered too, so that your services are accessible. And I think that's kind of a good segue question for both of you. What makes you passionate about your job? And Alexis, we'll start with you.
[00:13:52] Speaker E: So many things. So many things. It is the most rewarding thing I've ever done or get to be a part of, either in my professional or personal life. And I say it a lot. I think we're in a very unique position in that we get the privilege of getting to believe every single person who walks in our door. Everything they tell us, we are not investigators. We partner with them and we'll work with them if the patients want us to. But our job is to be there for them, anything that they need. And I really think that's a privilege.
[00:14:23] Speaker C: You're an advocate for the patient. Yeah. I love that.
[00:14:26] Speaker B: That's wonderful. How about for you, Bailey?
[00:14:28] Speaker D: That kind of segues into what I was going to say. So I train our medical advocates and they work one on one with the patients. But as part of that, I am also an advocate. And one of the most rewarding things is seeing someone walk through those doors and maybe six months or so after they've been going to Therapy and working with our therapist Shannon, seeing how much they grow and heal and being able to see that transformation is really rewarding.
[00:14:58] Speaker C: Yeah.
[00:14:59] Speaker B: I think, you know, it's very evident hearing the both of you talk that you're both so passionate about the work and that those are the kinds of hearts that we need for our community, for those that are needing those services. I know. We're going to take a quick break, but we're going to continue this conversation. You guys. You are listening to fit to be tied with Sheena and Nika on 90.
[00:15:21] Speaker A: Points out of the capstone WVUAFM Tuscaloosa. Welcome back, listeners. You are listening to fit to be.
[00:15:35] Speaker C: Tied with sheena and Nika on 90.7 the capstone. And we are joined today by Bailey and Alexis from the Safe center here in Tuscaloosa.
[00:15:48] Speaker B: Yes. And so, you know, I was realizing as we were ending the last segment, you know, we alluded to this a little bit, but we have not yet explicitly talked about what Tuscaloosa Safe center is and what the mission is. And so, you know, maybe that is our. I would love to claim it as a strategic tactic to get you to continue to listen and be like, well, I gotta keep listening to the show. Cause I need to know what Tuscaloosa Safe center actually is. But we are doing it now. So Bailey, can you tell us what is Tuscaloosa Safe center and its mission?
[00:16:21] Speaker D: So we are a sexual assault resource center and we focus solely on sexual assault as a topic and area of service.
We seek to provide a safe place to land for sexual assault survivors in west Alabama.
Meaning they can come to us for a forensic interview or exam following a sexual assault. They can come to us for follow up care, advocacy, advocacy therapy to make sure that they are getting the services that help them heal and begin to feel empowered.
[00:16:57] Speaker C: So for people who are new to Tuscaloosa, maybe say students or any, you know, if a sexual assault should happen to them, my first thought would be go to the emergency room maybe or call the police. What would be the steps that you would suggest that people follow?
[00:17:21] Speaker D: So it's not unheard of to go to the emergency room. It happens quite often. When that's the case, the nurses there call us. Okay, that's great.
We suggest they come to us first solely because we have a shorter wait time. We always have someone on call.
They can be usually seen and through our doors and leaving within like four to five hours.
So, you know, it's more private in that manner too. People aren't walking in and out of the rooms, it's very personal in a safe space.
But if they do go to say, dch, it's okay. They would call us sometimes they would suggest, like, the patient come to us, or if they need to be treated at dch, we would meet them there.
[00:18:11] Speaker C: Sure.
[00:18:12] Speaker B: Now, I know you just mentioned that, you know, oftentimes people get on Yalls radar, or you're on their radar from the nurses at other medical facilities calling y'all, but when you have individuals that come through your doors, do you often ask them how they knew about your services ahead of time? Was it because a friend knew about your services, or did they always know? Like, maybe they remember Bailey, you coming to speak to an organization they were a part of what has been kind of the most common way that people have heard about y'all.
[00:18:48] Speaker D: That's hard to answer. What do you think?
[00:18:52] Speaker E: I would say it depends. It really depends. A lot of times it's not usually something we'll ask outright. If it isn't, all right, obvious, like, they didn't come from the hospital or something like that. But we'll a lot of times get put out in discussion when the nurse is talking with the patient, whether that's being, yeah, my friend's the one who told me to come here, or just however that goes. And there's so many. Yeah. Google people find our website all the time. Just by doing. You type in sexual assault Tuscaloosa. And we should be one of the top results that come up. And that's something that Bailey works really hard to do in her outreach and education, making sure that so many of the community partners, the university for students, medical centers, everywhere else for community members is aware that we're there. So as soon as a patient has disclosed that information, they're directing them to us.
[00:19:43] Speaker B: And when I think about to. When you. Y'all initially mentioned serving, what, nine counties? So I'm thinking about the trek that people are making to intentionally come to see y'all, and that. That's amazing. Able to provide those services.
[00:19:59] Speaker C: It's a lot.
[00:20:00] Speaker D: And that's one of our biggest struggles, though, too, is a lot of our counties are rural and transportation.
[00:20:07] Speaker B: Yeah.
[00:20:07] Speaker D: Of getting to us. And so. And, like, when we go to apply for grants, that's not something that grants usually cover. So we always have to get strategic. Like, if someone's asking, like, randomly calls, which we get call often, too, and they're like, what do you all need? And usually, you know, we're saying something related to transportation, like, Lamar county, the very corner is like two hours away. So it's, you know, it's a trek.
[00:20:35] Speaker B: Yeah.
[00:20:36] Speaker C: So how do y'all get your funding? Is it like a United Way agency? Is it government funding? Is it nonprofit? I mean, I know it's nonprofit, but I'm just trying to, you know, for those listeners who are like, you know, I have a heart for this, and I want to make this more accessible to our non counties.
How does one help? How do you get funded?
[00:20:58] Speaker D: We are a United Way agency. I believe this is our second year. Third.
[00:21:02] Speaker C: So give it to you. Yes, we are give to United Way campaign.
[00:21:09] Speaker D: We also get government funding. We have the federal grants. In Alabama, there's a coalition. It's called the Alabama Coalition Against Rape, and they distribute the funding to the agencies throughout the state. But we also get individual donations and things too different. Like different agencies within, you know, maybe Tuscaloosa or just individual donations around Christmas and things like that.
[00:21:37] Speaker E: Sure.
[00:21:37] Speaker C: Do y'all have a. Like an annual fundraiser or anything that you do that people could.
[00:21:42] Speaker D: We have a few.
So actually Sigma Alpha Mu on campus, they run Sammy's Safe Box in October, which the boxes are on campus, but usually, I think in the Greek houses, and they collect supplies for us. That's a huge push, and we get a lot of great things from that.
And then Alpha Chi Omega, they do a fundraiser for us in March, typically, and it's called Love at the Free. And so we get a good amount from that. And we just had the SGA host the Safe Center Banquet for Us gala.
[00:22:21] Speaker B: Yeah, I remember seeing that.
And I just, you know, the timing of y'all coming on the show was so relevant. So I think that that works out really well. And, you know, I know you do serve folks beyond Tuscaloosa county, but do you happen to have any statistics related to sexual assault in the Tuscaloosa area or just for the areas that you serve in general?
[00:22:43] Speaker D: That's a hard one.
So whenever I go to look for stats, stats on. Even, like, updated ones for the state of Alabama, the most recent I've found is 2018.
So, I mean, we have our annual report and the patients that we serve, but just in general, for Alabama, it's one. The south regionally has the highest rate of rape.
And it's hypothesized that that's because were more populated, densely populated. But then Alabama specifically for 2018, it was estimated that there were 2057 rapes, which kind of averages out to 5.6 a day reported. And so you have to consider there the, under. The issue of under reporting and the misconceptions that come up with that.
Like, for example, a lot of survivors may fear retaliation from their perpetrator because it's very common for them to know their perpetrator. And that's in contrast to when there's a, you know, in the movies, like a sexual assault happening in an alleyway that's actually not typically the case.
And it's about 8 in 10 sexual assault survivors actually know their perp.
[00:24:09] Speaker B: Wow.
[00:24:09] Speaker C: Yeah.
[00:24:11] Speaker B: And now I know you mentioned that there are numbers that you, that you all share related to your annual report and those you serve. Are there any of those numbers that you're willing to share with us just as far as the impact that y'all have had?
[00:24:24] Speaker D: Oh, goodness. I need to think. I know off the top of my head, about 45% of our patients last year were students.
So that includes UA students, UWA, Shelton State, Stillmen High Schoolers, because we serve individuals 14 on up.
So we cover broad range with that aspect.
[00:24:49] Speaker E: And we serve approximately. It changes. Approximately 120 patients a year seems to be the average the past few years, which is fantastic. I'm glad that we reached that many.
But there's definitely a lot of patients who we don't get to see, who don't know about us.
And that's just 120 issues. Just the number of patients that we provide, like an initial forensic exam to the number of patients that we provide therapy services and everything like that is higher than that.
[00:25:20] Speaker B: Yeah. No, I think, I mean, from everything that y'all have shared so far. So eye opening. And I'm so grateful that our listeners are able to learn about this today. I know we've got to take a break, but after the break, I want to dive more into all of the services that are provided at Tuscaloosa Safe Center. And then Alexis, really ask you about your credentials and, you know, those that are qualified to do those forensic exams. But for now, we're going to take a quick break. You are listening to Fit to be time with Sheena And Nika on 90.7, the Capstone.
[00:25:56] Speaker A: WVUAFM, Tuscaloosa.
[00:26:05] Speaker C: Welcome back, listeners. You are listening to Fit to Be tied with Sheena and Nika on 90.7, the capstone. And we are joined today by Bailey and Alexis who work for the Tuscaloosa Safe Center. And it's not just for Tuscaloosa. They serve nine counties. I am still very shocked by this fact.
[00:26:25] Speaker B: Yeah, I had no Idea. And you know, Alexis, you were kind of alluding to this before the break. As far as, you know, some of the services that y'all provide. I heard you say the word therapy. So that's a great kind of segue into things. Of what are all of the services provided to Tuscaloosa Safe Center? Because I'm sure there may be some listeners who may have only associated your organization with providing those initial forensic exams.
[00:26:52] Speaker E: So we definitely do the initial forensic exams. We call it a medico forensic exam. And that's when you hear a rape kit. That's the evidence that we can help collect for that. And we can go into the different reporting options later. But we also do just a plain medical exam. If they don't want evidence collected with or without evidence, we can provide STD and pregnancy prophylactic medications. Again, everything we do is completely free from the initial exam to therapy. Everything's completely free.
So we also have follow ups like I was talking about earlier, and that can include therapy. Our therapist Shannon is fabulous and she does individual therapy as well as group therapy.
[00:27:37] Speaker D: She does animal assisted therapy or pet therapy. What is it called? She's currently training her Bunny Finley.
Yeah, so we're excited about that. We've had two therapy animal fails, which were both cats. And they decided that they liked being home more than coming to work.
[00:27:55] Speaker E: And I get that. Honestly, I feel that.
[00:27:58] Speaker B: Yeah.
[00:27:59] Speaker E: But yeah, so we kind of, like I mentioned earlier, we like to come be a one stop shop. If it isn't something that we have or we can directly do for them, whether that's facilitating. Like I can have the social worker who does the STI and HIV testing come and do that there at our facility so that way they don't have to go somewhere else or if they have previously been unreported or Jane or John Doe like we like to call them. And then they decide they want to report to law enforcement. We can have the investigator come there to the center and be there with them so that they aren't going down to the police station by themselves.
Really entering that world without knowing what to expect. We try to be that one place where they can go for anything.
[00:28:41] Speaker C: I love that. So listeners who are listening, who can be seen, I heard you say 14 and up and living in one of the nine counties. Right. Or can it be anybody in the state?
[00:28:55] Speaker E: Those are the counties that we serve as far as like geographical reach. But regardless of where the assault occurred, if they come to us and they're 14 or up, we can do the exam that's amazing. Yeah, it's just those are the counties where like we have agreements with the hospitals and things like that. But if it happened in another state, something like that, especially with students that are traveling to different states, then when they come back, we can still provide that exam.
The window for forensic evidence collection is generally about 72 hours. In some cases it's 120. It really is just on a case by case basis and depends on all of that. But that is regardless of showering or bathing. I don't care if it's been four days. Well, three days.
If you've taken a shower three times and changed your clothes, I can still collect evidence and we can at least try and do that kit, document injuries, make sure that you're getting the care you need.
[00:29:51] Speaker B: Yeah, I really appreciate you sharing those details. And when I was looking at your website and looking at the nursing staff, I, you know, saw the acronym sane. So talk a little bit about that, Alexis. You know, what does that stand for? And then what kind of trainings does one go through to get that, get that credential or label?
[00:30:15] Speaker E: Yeah, so there's actually been a little bit of a push. The plain SANE credential, S A N E stands for sexual assault Nurse Examiner.
We're been changing that to more lean towards forensic nurse. And the reason for that is there's an organization, the International association of Forensic Nurses. It's really the most well known organization for our specialty. And they offer a certification called SANE A for adult adolescent or SANE P for Pediatrics. So there's been a push to separate that so that the nurses who are trained but don't have that certification are forensic nurses. And the nurses who have that certification are.
But regardless of that, to be able to perform these exams individually, especially at our location, we have a 40 hour training. It's a combination of classwork material and then hands on, there's a period of shadowing where they'll shadow an experienced nurse for multiple cases, not just one. And then they're on their own. We do a check off. I make sure that, that they're comfortable with everything, they're familiar with everything, and really make sure that they are able to practice independently in these settings.
And then they'll begin working shifts on their own. After about 200 hours of direct casework and doing this job on call and casework, you're eligible to sit for that certification exam.
So myself and another nurse just got our certification earlier this year.
And so that was very exciting because I've been doing this for two years now. And you know, I love it. And that's usually about the point when you reach the 200 hour mark, depending. It definitely varies for that, but each case usually takes around four to five hours. So that kind of gives you an idea of how many cases you have to have to be able to sit for the exam.
And we're just, we're really proud of our nurses and the continuing education that they strive to do and that we offer just to make sure that we're following the most up to date evidence based practice.
[00:32:29] Speaker B: Absolutely. Evidence based. That's our bread and butter. We love those. We love that so much. And you know, I know we've talked about the terminology of like a forensic nurse and we've talked about a forensic exam. And so what would you want listeners to know about what's entailed in a forensic exam?
[00:32:49] Speaker E: Yeah, so a forensic exam is really important to survivors to meet their physical and emotional needs. It provides them the opportunity to have evidence collected, injuries examined and documented, and their holistic well being addressed in a safe environment. This is all we do.
And the forensic exam at our facility specifically includes collection of swabs or debris, collection of clothing if it's indicated. We also have, have this really fancy camera and something called alternate light source or a blue light that can help show dried secretions that aren't visible to the naked eye. And that's even after showering because that's a big misconception.
And we can also collect specimens if the patient desires for drug testing, for if it's indicated that may have been a drug facilitated sexual assault.
And we can do all of this with or without law enforcement. So I mentioned earlier the Jane or John Doe kits in Alabama. They will store unreported or Jane doe kits for 20 years.
[00:33:55] Speaker B: Wow.
[00:33:56] Speaker E: So if the patient wants to have evidence collected, but they aren't sure if they want to involve law enforcement yet or they don't want to at that time, for whatever reason they may have, they can still come to us, have that evidence kit collected. And it's collected where? On the outside of the kit. It just says their case number on it. It does not have any of their information on that. Only we have that. Law enforcement does store the unreported kits for us, but they'll do that for 20 years. So in six months, five years, 10 years, if they come back and decide they do want to involve law enforcement and open up a report, law enforcement will then send the kit off at that point.
[00:34:33] Speaker B: That is incredible.
[00:34:34] Speaker E: Yes. And if they do want to involve law enforcement at the beginning or at a later point? Especially at the beginning, though, we try to have, if it's local, have the investigator come to the center so that we can do that interview together to limit the amount of times these survivors are having to tell their story, because that can be really re. Traumatizing.
[00:34:53] Speaker C: That's what I was going to ask next, too. Like, how. What extra steps do y'all take to make sure that this is the most helpful and non re traumatizing experience for your patients?
[00:35:06] Speaker E: Yeah. So our staff works really hard to make sure our environment is a calm, safe place with access to all the resources they need. We are completely inclusive.
And like I talked about earlier, we have the privilege of believing everything that they tell us.
So that really helps a lot and doesn't seem like it would, but it is. That's a privilege. We are there to just help them with what they need. We care about them as a person. And I will say each patient is different. Just, you know, everyone's individual. So there are different needs and different resources that each patient needs, but we try to address those. And like Baylor is speaking to, we have a fantastic base of advocates. And their only role during the interview exam, that entire encounter is to be there for the patient. So, you know, as the nurse, I'm getting their information, I'm doing the kit. If there's law enforcement, they're getting information, they're asking questions. Advocate, they're just there for the patient. We all are. But specifically, that is their role is supporting the patient. So if they're getting overwhelmed and they need a break or they are giving the nurse their clothing, the advocate will go out and grab clothing to replace it, help make supplies, and we like to call them goodie bags of hot hygiene products or anything that they may need when they leave us.
[00:36:31] Speaker C: And I love that y'all. I know we got to take a break, but that you guys kind of, you know, y'all are that bridge, like you said, they don't have to leave you and go down and find a parking place to go to the sheriff's office or the police department and make a report. They don't, you know, has to just kind of run here and there, all over town. You just bring it to them. And that's so important for anybody that is going through a traumatic experience.
[00:36:56] Speaker B: Absolutely. I think that the information that you've shared for our listeners has been really incredible. I feel so blessed just to. Just to hear everything that y'all do. And I know again, we've got to take a quick break, but we're going to continue some conversation and close out the show. You are listening to fit to be tied with Sheena and Nika on 90.7 the Capstone.
[00:37:21] Speaker A: WVUAFM, Tuscaloosa.
[00:37:30] Speaker C: Happy Sunday, listeners. You're listening to Fit to be tied with Sheena and Nika on 90.7 the capstone. And we have Bailey and Alexis with us today from the Tuscaloosa Safe Center. And if you've not been listening before, you've got to go back and listen because this is an amazing, amazing program for our community. I do have a quick question from the break and that is one of you guys kind of explain some of the common misconceptions about who would be using your services. Is it always the college aged female?
[00:38:05] Speaker D: Not always. Last year, according to our statistics, about 17% of our patients were male. On a national level, 1 in 10 survivors are male. So it's not just female college age students. It's a whole range. From what was our range last year up to I think one of our patients in the 80s or.
[00:38:27] Speaker B: Sure, sure.
[00:38:28] Speaker C: Yeah.
[00:38:29] Speaker B: No, that's so, I mean, just, I think for our listeners to know that is so helpful. And Alexis, I know you were mentioning during the break there were a lot of things that you also wanted to make sure our listeners knew about Tuscaloosa Safe center. At least, you know, any kind of misconceptions or clarifications. So what else would you like listeners to know?
[00:38:50] Speaker E: Yeah, so one of the big things is do we have to call law enforcement, especially if they're a minor? So the answer is kind of complicated to that. Not really. Kind of. So we'll see patients as long as they're 14 years old. 14 years old and up, we will see you. That's generally like the only requirement for our services.
[00:39:09] Speaker C: Where do they go if they're under 14?
[00:39:11] Speaker E: Children's in Birmingham.
[00:39:12] Speaker C: Children's in Birmingham.
[00:39:14] Speaker E: Okay. Between 14 and 17, we can see them. We can serve them. They're capable of giving their own consent. We do not need a parent there. We do not need a parent's consent.
However, between 14 and 17, we do have to notify DHR and law enforcement. That's just a mandatory reporting as nurses were held to, that would be nurses or doctors at any medical facility between the ages of 18 and up. We do not have to report to law enforcement or DHR unless the patient is otherwise a member of a vulnerable population, which would mean that they have, you know, a mentor, physical handicap making them a vulnerable population.
But a lot of the times, you know, we have 18 year olds because the age of majority In Alabama being 19, they worry that we're going have to report and that is not the case unless they otherwise fall into those vulnerable populations.
[00:40:09] Speaker B: No, I think just you making those clarifications or just sharing that information in general is so helpful because I know we talked a lot about the specific age that you serve, but certainly when there's that concern about law enforcement and then having to report that to them or dhr. So helpful to know.
[00:40:31] Speaker C: So helpful to know.
[00:40:32] Speaker B: Yes, absolutely. Well, I would say, like, this has been one of our most phenomenal features.
[00:40:39] Speaker C: I know I could do another hour of this, honestly, and still have questions like, this is a great resource for our community and everybody in the world. But I'm just so glad that Tuscaloosa has this.
[00:40:54] Speaker B: Yes, absolutely. And I can guarantee that y'all will have multiple invitations in the future to come back. We're just so grateful for your time today, Alexis. Thank you so much. Bailey. Thank you so much, listeners. Thank you so much for hanging with us and we hope you have a fabulous week. You have been listening to Happy Birthday, Sheena. Thank you. You have been listening to Fit to be tied with Sheena and Nika on 90.7 the capstone.
[00:41:24] Speaker A: WVUAFM Tuscaloosa.
