State program expands services to domestic violence victims

BISMARCK — Domestic violence victims in central and western North Dakota will now have access to expanded forensic medical services under a state-funded pilot program.

The Legislature last year with the approval of Senate Bill 2202 set aside $250,000 in grant dollars through the Attorney General’s Office toward the effort.

Supporters of the bill told lawmakers that Sexual Assault Nurse Examiners, who provide trauma-informed care including forensic photography and assessment of injuries to sexual assault victims, should also be made available to victims of domestic violence.

Central Dakota Forensic Nurse Examiners, a nonprofit with nurses that respond to area hospitals to assist victims, was awarded $220,000 of the state grant dollars and began offering the expanded services in the Bismarck and Williston regions on Thursday, Feb. 1.

The nonprofit saw an inequality in the response available to victims, said Kristie Wolff, communications and engagement coordinator.

“If two victims had nearly identical circumstances, but one was bitten on the breast and the other was bitten on the shoulder during the assault, they would have access to different services,” Wolff said.

The sexual assault victim would have access to a Sexual Assault Nurse Examiner, who is trained to take photos that can later be used as evidence, collect saliva from bite marks, assess injuries and provide expert testimony in court. That would be available at no cost through the state program, Wolff said.

But previously the victim of physical violence would have been referred to the emergency room at their own expense with no access to a Sexual Assault Nurse Examiner, she said.

“We believe both victims deserve access to the same care,” she said.

Tisha Scheurer, the nonprofit’s executive director, told legislators last year that the multi-disciplinary approach used by Sexual Assault Nurse Examiners leads to better health outcomes and higher prosecution rates.

The nurses also participate in a detailed interview process, and sometimes victims are more comfortable with the medical provider than law enforcement, she said.

“We cannot continue to ignore the other victim population that is even bigger in numbers,” Scheurer told lawmakers last year.

A survivor of domestic violence told a legislative committee that evidence collected in her case did not make it to a judge. The woman said one police officer took a photo of her injury through a patrol car window. Additional photos taken at a hospital did not qualify to be admitted into evidence, she said.

In 2022, domestic violence crisis shelters across the state served 6,128 new victims, according to CAWS North Dakota, the statewide sexual and domestic violence coalition.

It’s unclear how many victims the new pilot program might serve. Wolff said she anticipates it primarily benefiting victims of felony-level violence, such as nonfatal strangulation or cases involving a weapon or severe injury.

Central Dakota Forensic Nurse Examiners serves Burleigh, Morton, Grant, Sioux, Kidder, Sheridan and Emmons counties through its Bismarck region and Divide, McKenzie, and Williams counties through the Williston region.

The Abused Adult Resource Center in Bismarck and the Family Crisis Shelter in Williston are partners in implementing the new program.

“By continuing our work together, we can create a safer and more supportive environment where survivors of intimate partner violence feel empowered to seek help and reclaim their lives,” said Courtney Monroe Ryckman, direct services supervisor with the Abused Adult Resource Center.

Another $20,000 in grant dollars was awarded to Safe Alternatives for Abused Families in Devils Lake, according to the Attorney General’s Office.

The state funding is a one-time program, but organizations will report back to the Legislature during the 2025 session. Central Dakota Forensic Nurse Examiners also plans to make the expanded services available to pediatric patients in the future, Wolff said.

This story was originally published on NorthDakotaMonitor.com