(A) The city and SANE jointly develop a SANE Program and coordinate the certification and training of an appropriate number of registered nurses to work in this program.
(1) Funding for the program shall be appropriated to the Albuquerque Police Department Criminal Investigation Division, and these funds shall be used, in whole or in part, to hire a Coordinator for the SANE program.
(2) The SANE Board of Directors shall hire a Coordinator for the SANE program who shall be accountable to the SANE Board of Directors.
(B) The following shall be the primary goal of Albuquerque's SANE Program for local sexual assault victims:
(1) To minimize the trauma of the forensic exam by initially having twenty highly trained nurse examiners conduct the examination with the assistance of Rape Crisis representatives, a physician director and various hospital staffs.
(2) To reduce the waiting time for the emergency evaluation and forensic evidence collection phases of care, to increase continuity of treatment, reduce fragmentation of care which victims currently experience.
(3) To ensure that appropriate follow-up care for the victim is coordinated and that clinical treatment is standardized through use of clinical pathways.
(4) To increase the number of victims who consent to the forensic exam, improve the quality of the forensic evidence collected, and improve the quality of clinical courtroom testimony to increase conviction rates, while at the same time giving the victim the choice about whether to report the crime to the Albuquerque Police Department or the Bernalillo County Sheriff's Office.
(5) To provide crime prevention and a safer community by means of higher conviction/plea offer rates in order to get repeat violent offenders off our streets.
(6) Provide primary crime prevention through public education utilizing the community services collaboration.
(C) The initial SANE training will consist of a core group of registered nurses and a Nurse Coordinator involving a two-part program composed of classroom instruction and applied clinical experience with supervised forensic sexual assault exams and case management.
(D) The state of New Mexico currently provides funding for sexual assault nurse examinations in the approximate amount of $140,000 per year; that tentative financial commitments have also been received from local hospitals and other interested groups which commitments are expected to provide a substantial amount of funding for this program. Outside funding combined with city funds will be sufficient to implement the program.
(E) All avenues of additional funding, including grant funds, will be explored for future funding needs of this program.
(F) Although time is of essence in implementing an Albuquerque SANE Program, sufficient time is needed for collaboration between all interested organizations and completion of the appropriate nurse certification and training. All efforts to begin this program at the earliest possible date shall be pursued.
(Res. 49-1996, approved 4-30-96)