LAS VEGAS (KLAS) — The demise of a forensic nurse, who dealt with nearly all of intercourse assault exams throughout Clark County, is highlighting the pressing want for extra providers within the Leisure Capital of the World.
Jeri Dermanelian, 64, a long-time sexual assault nurse examiner (SANE) based mostly at College Medical Middle, died in April. The 8 Information Now Investigators tried repeatedly for years to interview Dermanelian as a result of she was also known as Southern Nevada’s solely forensic nurse.
That meant she dealt with all of the sexual assault exams for residents and vacationers and testified in legal circumstances. In a single case, Dermanelian examined a comatose emergency room affected person, discovering she was strangled. The willpower later led to homicide fees.
However the perception Dermanelian was alone was not true. In actual fact, one other well being care supplier was providing, and continues to supply, related providers. The 8 Information Now Investigators discovered it was typically an unwritten process to ship survivors to Dermanelian straight.
UMC handles about 300 sexual assault exams a month, in response to Liz Ortenburger, the CEO of SafeNest, a corporation that assists survivors of home violence.
“For 2.4 million people, three million on a busy weekend, we had one forensic nurse in place at UMC,” Ortenburger mentioned. “Every police department was bringing their survivors to UMC because it’s the county’s hospital.”
Ortenburger in contrast the Las Vegas valley to the San Antonio, Texas, metro space, which she mentioned employs a couple of dozen forensic nurses.
UMC contracted straight with Dermanelian’s firm, data mentioned. In her most up-to-date contract, signed in February, UMC’s board agreed to pay her $85,000 a month for her providers. State legislation requires Clark County to reimburse a hospital for the price of the examination.
The county reimbursed Dermanelian’s firm $1.2 million in fiscal 12 months 2024, a spokesperson mentioned. Nevada HealthRight, a nonprofit situated a block from UMC, obtained about $400,000 in reimbursements.
“There was an automatic, almost an automatic process of, ‘Take them to UMC,’” Rachell Ekroos, who leads Nevada HealthRight, mentioned. Ekroos is one in every of a handful of forensic nurses within the state.
“Why was there this perception that there was this one nurse in the county?” 8 Information Now Investigator David Charns requested Ekroos.
“Part of that is that there was a resistance in shifting of certain embedded policies or protocols, whether formal or not or written or not,” Ekroos mentioned. “We would have shifts where we would have no calls. I would have a nurse on for 24 hours, 36 hours, and not have any exams, to where they are guaranteed to get called in once or twice for every shift.”
Nevada HealthRight all the time provided forensics exams and companions with different hospitals, Ekroos mentioned. She employs 5 nurses, each full-time and part-time.
“We want to make sure our community is served regardless of where they land for services,” Ekroos mentioned. “We want to make sure they’re served.”
A number of police companies instructed 8 Information Now they have been now sending survivors who needed an examination to Nevada HealthRight.
A spokesperson for HCA Healthcare, which runs giant hospitals together with Dawn Hospital and Medical Middle and MountainView Hospital, mentioned they accomplice with the nonprofit, too.
“We continue to endorse the comprehensive SANE program established at UMC,” a spokesperson for Dignity Well being- St. Rose Dominican Hospitals mentioned in an announcement.
Lawmakers handed and Gov. Joe Lombardo signed a invoice this legislative session that enables the state to straight reimburse examination suppliers, bypassing the county. Supporters of the proposal mentioned the hope is that it’ll incentivize extra forensic nurses to work within the state.
