LAS VEGAS – SafeNest, Nevada’s largest and most comprehensive nonprofit dedicated to ending domestic and sexual violence, will present “Navigating forensic exams: a mock training for advocates supporting strangulation and sexual assault survivors” March 11 at The Nest at SafeNest, 3844 Meadows Lane, next to SafeNest’s headquarters in Las Vegas. 

Meagan Riddle, operations director and forensic nurse at SW Forensic Nursing and Healthcare in St. George, Utah, will lead the session, which will run 10 a.m. to noon and will equip anti-domestic violence advocates and community partners to better understand what happens during a forensic exam.  

From the session, advocates will learn how to prepare strangulation victims or sexual assault survivors for post assault exams without retraumatizing them. The training will also help advocates better explain health tests necessary following an assault, such as tests for sexually transmitted diseases, urinary tract infections and HIV. 

April 2024 research from the Family Justice Center Alliance reports that 1 in 4 women will experience intimate partner violence in their lifetime with strangulation among the most lethal forms of domestic violence. Loss of consciousness can occur within 5-10 seconds and death within minutes. 

During the 2023 legislative session, SafeNest helped pass AB 257 making Nevada the fourth state in the U.S. to fund exams for strangulation survivors. 

SafeNest has been at the forefront of ending domestic and sexual violence in Southern Nevada for 48 years, treating the entire continuum from prevention to protection to empowerment providing a safe shelter for victims of abuse and providing resources for abusive partners to address the cycle of abuse – In 2024, we provided life-saving services to survivors of domestic violence including 46,420 shelter services: 23,090calls to our 24/7 hotline; and 1,248 crisis responses with LVMPD. 

For more information, please visit www.safenest.org.

ABOUT SAFENEST   

Tracing roots back to 1977, SafeNest is focused on ending domestic and sexual violence through collaboration, innovative strategy, and client centered program delivery. What sets SafeNest apart is the commitment to treating the entire continuum of violence from prevention to protection to empowerment. Our core, confidential services include emergency shelter, 24/7 crisis hotline, counseling, advocacy, and prevention education. SafeNest is the only nonprofit in the Valley to provide resources for perpetrators to address the cycle of abuse at its root. For more information, visit www.safenest.org. For immediate help and support, call, or text the 24/7 domestic violence hotline at 702-646-4981.   

Media Contacts:  

Linda Bridges, SafeNest  

702-821-2783  

[email protected]

Susan Somers, FM Marketing

702-249-9900

[email protected]