In Indiana, too few nurses are trained to help victims of rape and sexual assault

In a sterile hospital room, Eileen Poore took off her clothes after the attack.

“It’s all a dream, isn’t it?” the 36-year-old mother asked in tears. “I’ll wake up tomorrow.”

“I hope so, honey,” the nurse said as she took photos and swabs for a rape kit.

Her body had become a crime scene. And over the next few hours, her nurse documented it.

During the exam, Poore said one thing over and over again: “I’m sorry.”

“It’s not your fault,” her nurse replied.

Poore was sexually assaulted by her passenger in Broad Ripple on July 27, 2019. Months later, the DNA collected that night would be tested. It matched a sample taken from the driver, investigators determined, leading to his arrest. The nurse would later be put on the witness list in a court case.

As Poore left the exam room, she wasn’t sure what would happen next. She had new clothes, a resource folder, and the nurse’s email address. She saved it on her phone.

One day she would thank the woman who had put her through hell.

Indiana’s Shortage of Sexual Assault Nurses

The nurse that evening had special training.

She is a nurse and sexual assault examiner – the first point of contact for a survivor in a hospital.

Nurses like her provide medical care, including pregnancy and HIV prevention, treatment of sexually transmitted infections and referrals to counseling and advocates. They are also specially trained to collect evidence that can be used in court.

Not everyone presses charges. But when a case goes to trial, the nurse becomes the prosecutor’s favorite witness – someone who can explain the DNA evidence to jurors or share the survivor’s behavior during the inquest: what he said, how he felt, his tears .

“In my experience, when a survivor is examined by a trained nurse, the conviction rate is higher,” said Amy Blackett, a former sex crimes prosecutor in Marion County who now trains others at the Indiana Prosecuting Attorneys Council. “Your testimony is invaluable.”

However, Indiana has a shortage.

According to the Indiana Coalition to End Sexual Assault and Human Trafficking, one in five Hoosier women will be sexually assaulted; Still, a 2022 report from the Indiana University School of Medicine found that only 493 nurses in the state were trained to conduct sexual assault examinations — a fraction of the 114,000 health care workers surveyed.

That leaves big gaps, including in the Indianapolis area: Hamilton, Johnson and Boone are among 45 counties that have no hospitals with sexual assault nurses.

According to the Indiana Criminal Justice Institute, nearly 70% of rape tests conducted in Marion County hospitals last year were for survivors outside the county. The state agency reimburses hospitals for sexual assault exams, which remain free to patients.

But that doesn’t cover the full cost of hiring nurses or equipment, said Natalie Calow, coordinator at IU Health Methodist Hospital’s Center of Hope, which serves about 250 sexual assault victims annually.

“Forensic nursing programs are expensive and we don’t generate revenue,” Calow said. “I just wish hospitals would see it as a benefit to the community.”

Forced to turn away survivors

The hurdles in gathering evidence can quickly increase.

Some survivors travel far to Indianapolis waiting for a nurse to become available.

When you shower, drink, eat, go to the bathroom, or change clothes, DNA can be lost.

The exams can last so long — four to eight hours — that some people can cope by listening to music on headphones. The time required for survivors and carers is considerable.

Marion County hospitals can, for the most part, handle the influx of cases from other parts of the state, Calow said, but that could limit the resources available to residents here.

“If the police or another hospital calls and I already have a case,” Calow said, “I can’t take another one.”

This happens to her about four times a month. But there is hope that this will change.

IU Health received a $1.39 million grant to train more sexual assault nurses across the state over the next three years. This complements current efforts at the University of Southern Indiana, which since 2018 has been providing financial support and training to nurses conducting sexual assault assessments.

“If you do the test right, it gives the survivor strength back,” said Angie Morris, the southern Indiana training coordinator. “It meets their needs, connects them to resources and allows them to decide what happens next.”

According to the National Sexual Violence Center, at least 63% of sexual assaults are not reported to the police. Specialist nurses still see survivors opting out.

“Many people are unaware that they still need medical treatment after a sexual assault,” Calow said. “We’re going through their options.”

It’s a deeply personal decision – and one that could have turned out differently for Poore.

“Being able to have reminders that you can move on is so important and crucial, in the form of love, affection and gentleness,” Poore said.

“Without her I wouldn’t be alive”

Poore, now 42, was just a few miles from IU Health Methodist Hospital after the rideshare driver attacked her in 2019.

“If I had had time to think or drive,” Poore said, “I probably would have talked myself out of taking the test.”

The trial dragged on for two years, due in part to systemic courtroom delays in 2020 related to the pandemic. The case changed prosecutors three times.

“I was in a really dark hole and didn’t feel like I was believed,” Poore said. “It was just torture having to go through it over and over again. I just needed it to be over.”

Finally, she told the prosecutor that she agreed to a plea deal. Her attacker pleaded guilty to felony imprisonment and was sentenced to six years probation. It still brings tears to her eyes today.

“Honestly, it was a gift for him that he wasn’t convicted of rape,” Poore said. “I wanted to give my children their mother back. I had been through enough.”

The only part of the process she found helpful was contacting her nurse. She received support from someone trained to gently examine the injured parts of her.

“She had a huge impact on my follow-up care and helped me seek counseling immediately,” Poore said. “Without her I wouldn’t be alive.”

After the trial ended, the two women had dinner and hugged. That’s when Poore learned that her nurse had been praying for her.

“My forensic nurse had a huge impact on the investigation, my follow-up care and I had the resources to begin counseling immediately. If I hadn’t done that, I might not be here yet. It’s pretty dark,” Eileen Poore said. “I just can’t imagine that this isn’t common practice in every hospital. It just blows me away.”

The starting line

Poore has always been a runner.

In 2019 she ran the Boston Marathon. From then on, she looked forward to completing her 21st full marathon in the fall.

But after the attack, she stopped going outside to train.

On July 29, 2019, two days after the attack, she was running on the treadmill in her downtown apartment. She captioned the run on an app on her phone, “I’m not taking this.”

On July 30th it was 5 miles: “Just try it.”

July 31: “I watch my legs run.”

The thought of giving up and letting him win filled him with rage. She had been seeing the therapist recommended by her nurse. They had discussed how their healing process could take place outside of the courtroom.

Even though she hadn’t eaten or slept well in months, Poore stood at the starting line in downtown Indianapolis that November.

Part of the Monumental Marathon followed the same route her attacker had taken just months before.

Just before the start of the race, she took off her warm-up clothes: the blue sweatshirt and sweatpants that the nurse at the hospital had given her.

She threw them on the ground and ran.

Mirror Indy reporter Mary Claire Molloy covers health. Reach her at 317-721-7648 or email [email protected]. Follow her on X @mcmolloy7.

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