U.S. Department of Justice selects Center of Excellence in Forensic Nursing to update national SANE program guide

The U.S. Department of Justice, Office of Justice Programs (OJP), Office for Victims of Crime (OVC) has selected the Texas A&M Health Center of Excellence in Forensic Nursing to update its national guide for developing Sexual Assault Nurse Examiner (SANE) programs.

The $350,000 cooperative agreement, awarded to the Center of Excellence in Forensic Nursing, supports the revision and modernization of the second edition of OVC’s Sexual Assault Nurse Examiner (SANE) Program Development and Operation Guide.

The guide, first developed to help communities establish SANE programs, provides a blueprint for nurses and multidisciplinary teams to deliver comprehensive, person-centered, trauma-informed care to survivors of sexual assault. The new edition will build on decades of research, highlighting the critical role of forensic nurses in addressing sexual violence through evidence-based clinical practice, leadership and collaboration.

“The SANE guide has long served as a foundational resource for communities working to strengthen their response to sexual assault,” said Laurie Charles, DNP, clinical assistant professor at the Texas A&M University College of Nursing and the project’s principal investigator. “This funding allows us to integrate the latest science and best practices across multiple disciplines into a modernized, national framework that supports both new and existing programs to serve communities.”

The guide’s second edition will include new standards across disciplines, along with expanded sections on education, resources, program operations, and interprofessional partnerships.

“This project ensures that every community, regardless of size or resources, has access to practical tools for building sustainable, patient-centered SANE/forensic nursing programs,” Charles said. “By strengthening this guide, we help nurses and communities provide compassionate, holistic, high-quality care for survivors.”

The updated guide will be published by OVC, making it available online to professionals across the country.

This announcement was produced by Texas A&M University, College of Nursing under Grant# 15POVC-25-GK-00734-NONF, awarded by the Office for Victims of Crime, Office of Justice Programs, U.S. Department of Justice. The opinions, findings, and conclusions or recommendations expressed in this announcement are those of the contributors and do not necessarily represent the official position or policies of the U.S. Department of Justice.