4 sex assault nurse examiners resign in wake of premier's comments
CBC
At least four sexual assault nurse examiners have resigned from an already understaffed program in the wake of comments by the New Brunswick premier and a health authority executive about a Fredericton victim being turned away, which one nurse described as a "slap in the face."
Two nurses have left the sexual assault nurse examiner (SANE) program in the Fredericton area, the Horizon Health Network confirmed.
Another two have left the program in the Upper River Valley area, said Horizon spokesperson Kris McDavid, while Fredericton SANE nurse Janet Matheson said the actual number is three.
"It's just the feeling of disrespect that we got and by not getting a public apology, we just felt disrespected," said Matheson, who is still with the program.
CBC News reported in September that a woman who had been sexually assaulted was told to go home because no one was available to examine her until the next day.
Premier Blaine Higgs described the incident as "unacceptable" and "reflective of a process guided by very poor decision-making and a lack of compassion."
Matheson said her colleagues "stepped aside … pretty well right after [a] big provincial meeting," attended by SANE and Horizon officials, she said.
"You've got to support your staff, got to be loyal to your staff."
The resignations leave just Matheson and two others to try to cover the Fredericton area 24/7, either on staff or on call, on top of their regular nursing shifts.
"Our schedule now just looks … horrendous," said Matheson, 69, a nurse for 45 years.
As a team of five, the Fredericton SANE nurses used to manage to cover about 90 per cent of the hours, she said. "I couldn't even guess what the percentage is now, [but] the three of us are going to try and cover as much as we can."
The Upper River Valley area has two SANE nurses left, along with the co-ordinator for that area, the Horizon spokesperson said.
He did not immediately respond to questions about any other resignations in other regions, but Matheson said she was on-call in Fredericton last Saturday and performed the forensic exams, commonly referred to as rape kits, for two victims from the Saint John area.
"So they're certainly facing difficulties too," she said.