Health care, law enforcement team up for forensics conference - KC Nursing News Story - Kansas City

Health care, law enforcement team up for forensics conference - KC Nursing News Story - Kansas City

"Meticulous evidence collection can make all the difference when cracking criminal cases. From the crime scene to the courtroom, collaboration between health care providers, first responders, law enforcement and victims’ advocates is vital for successful prosecution and for the healing process for victims to begin.

Now professionals involved with victims of violence have an opportunity to further their skills at the fifth annual “Forensic Investigations: Sexual Assault, Domestic Violence, Child and Elder Abuse ... From Scene to Courtroom” educational conference May 8 to 11, at the Kansas City Downtown Marriott Hotel. Sponsored by Saint Luke’s Hospital of Kansas City, the conference is targeted to physicians, nurses, public health officials, law enforcement representatives, emergency medicine providers, first responders, prosecutors, criminalists, military personnel and victim’s advocates.

New this year, a pre-conference program will offer educational tracks targeted to physicians, nurses and non-medical personnel.

Track 1 for physicians will help participants gain expertise to conduct a medical forensic exam, provide expert witness testimony and understand cultural and legal controversies in care and science behind DNA/STRs as they relate to sexual assault patients. Sessions have been designed to educate physicians who are responsible for quality assurance oversight of sexual assault care.

Track 2 for nurses will prepare participants for the Sexual Assault Nurse Examiner (SANE-A and SANE-P) board certification examination.

Track 3 for non-medical personnel is targeted to law enforcement, legal, child protection advocates and social workers and will help them understand the forensics of childhood injury vs. suspected abuse.

The general conference will cover emerging issues in forensic medicine, including challenges and best care practices in evidence collection, identifying corroborating evidence, maximizing crime scene photography, building a case in drug-facilitated assaults, preparing expert witness testimony, strategies for successful prosecution, deception detection, entomology in death investigations, suspect forensic exams, intimate partner violence victimization and more.

Saint Luke’s Hospital established the first private rape treatment center in the nation in 1974. The hospital is one of the few in the area with emergency room nurses who are all credentialed as Sexual Assault Nurse Examiners (SANE). SANE nurses have advanced education and clinical training in forensic examination of sexual assault victims. The program’s enhanced evidence collection process leads to more effective investigations and more successful prosecutions. Saint Luke’s Health System’s sexual assault program was one of the first in the country to expand its care to also focus on victims of domestic violence, elder and child abuse."