HANCOCK COUNTY — For the first time, survivors of sexual assault in Hancock County won't have to travel to another county for medical attention specifically for them.
Through a grant, the Hancock Community Health Network is launching the county's first Sexual Assault Nurse Examiner (SANE) program. Survivors in Henry County will also be served. The program will allow survivors to get sexual assault exams in a secure and comfortable environment.
"Our goal is to bring the community together and make sexual assault something that we talk about on a regular basis. It happens here in our community and we have the need for this sexual assault nurse examiner program ... we want it to be successful," Aimee Herring, Hancock County Chief Deputy Prosecutor, said. "We want our survivors to walk away feeling like every interaction they've had from the point of their first disclosure to the end of any potential investigation to feel like their best interest is at heart."
From 2006 to 2016, the prosecutor’s office did not get a single conviction for rape. Earlier this year, the county created a new Sexual Assault Response Team, or SART, which is comprised of police, prosecutors, victim advocates and medical professionals. The program's goal is to coordinate a victim-centered, collaborative, interdisciplinary response to all victims of sexual assault by providing comprehensive forensic evaluation, continued advocacy, and criminal justice services in an ethical and compassionate manner.
RELATED: Governor signs bill aimed at defining rape and consent in Indiana
A donation drive is running now through April 23 at several locations. The SANE program is set to begin later this spring or in early summer.
- Hancock County Public Library
- Greenfield Police Department
- Hancock County Sheriff's Department
- Fortville Police Department
- McCordsville Police Department
- Shirley Police Department
- Greenfield Banking Company
- Hancock Regional Hospital
- Hancock Wellness Center
- Healthy 365 Connection Center
- Rotary Club of Greenfield
- Greenfield Fire Stations 421 and 422
- Christ Fellowship Knightstown
-
Indianapolis firefighters install over 130 smoke alarms in door-to-door safety push
Indianapolis Colts to face Commanders in London on Oct. 4
The Indianapolis Colts will face the Washington Commanders at Tottenham Stadium in London on Oct. 4, the NFL announced Wednesday.
1 man dead, 3 injured in stabbing in Mars Hill neighborhood
Indianapolis 500 reserved seating sells out a week earlier than in 2025
Reserved seating for the Indianapolis 500 on May 24 will be sold out for the second consecutive year, and the local television broadcast delay will be lifted again.
