Main Line Health partners with SAFE-T System to provide support for victims of sexual assault
Bryn Mawr, PA — Main Line Health, known for delivering high-quality, comprehensive care in the Philadelphia area and beyond for more than 40 years, is partnering with SAFE-T System (Sexual Assault Telehealth System) to enhance sexual assault care for its communities.
SAFE-T System combines nurse-led expertise, secure technology and over a decade of research to support hospitals, clinicians and survivors during forensic telehealth sexual assault examinations. SAFE-T System helps ensure trauma-informed care, proper evidence collection, and consistent quality. This comprehensive support helps patients take their first step toward healing in a safe and supportive environment.
"Finding new ways to support victims of sexual assault is a priority in our community," said Elizabeth (Craig) Connelly, DNP, RN, FACHE, Senior Vice President and Chief Nursing Officer, Main Line Health. "We are excited to partner with SAFE-T System to bring top quality sexual assault care to victims who seek help at our hospitals. Nothing could be more valuable than having expert nurses available 24/7 to support our staff and patients."
The SAFE-T System will be available at all four Main Line Health acute care hospitals — Lankenau Medical Center, Bryn Mawr Hospital, Paoli Hospital and Riddle Hospital.
When someone presents to one of the hospitals after experiencing sexual violence, they will have immediate access to a sexual assault nurse examiner (SANE). SANEs have extensive experience providing sexual assault care, and thanks to SAFE-T System's specialized forensic telehealth technology, their expertise is accessible to our community.
Access to SANEs with this level of training and experience is often limited to large urban sexual assault centers. However, Main Line Health's innovative partnership with SAFE-T System makes it possible to have this expertise at our locations in Montgomery, Delaware and Chester counties. The SAFE-T System telehealth SANE (teleSANE) can observe the live exam in progress, helping ensure best practices, proper evidence collection and a safe, supportive environment for the patient.
"The expert nurse appears on a screen where they can talk to and support both the on-site nurse and the patient," said Sheridan Miyamoto, Associate Professor of Nursing at Penn State and Director and Founder of the SAFE-T System. "This is a true partnership. Our goal is to make sure the on-site nurse feels supported and confident during the exam and that the patient knows that they are getting the best care possible."
Sexual assault forensic examinations are free to patients, and there is no charge for SAFE-T System telehealth support. Forensic examination services are available at Main Line Health hospital emergency departments 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
About Main Line Health
Main Line Health® is a not-for-profit health system serving the greater Philadelphia region. The System comprises five hospitals, seven health centers, more than 160 outpatient and physician practice locations, over 14,500 employees and more than 2,200 employed and independent physicians and advanced practice providers.
Founded in 1985, Main Line Health includes four of the region’s most respected acute care hospitals — Lankenau Medical Center, Bryn Mawr Hospital, Paoli Hospital and Riddle Hospital — as well as Bryn Mawr Rehab Hospital, one of the nation’s premier facilities for rehabilitative medicine. The System also includes Mirmont Treatment Center, which provides treatment and support for substance use disorders; Main Line Health HomeCare & Hospice; Main Line HealthCare, its employed multispecialty physician network; Lankenau Institute for Medical Research, a leading biomedical research organization; and Main Line Health Centers offering primary and specialty care, lab, radiology and other outpatient services in Broomall, Collegeville, Concordville, Devon, Exton, King of Prussia and Newtown Square.
Main Line Health brings together physicians, advanced practice providers, nurses, researchers and other healthcare professionals across a broad network of inpatient, outpatient, home-based and community-based services. Through this integrated approach, the System delivers high-quality, comprehensive care across the continuum — from primary care and preventive services to complex specialty, surgical, trauma, emergency, rehabilitative, behavioral health, home care and hospice services — with a focus on making care accessible in the communities where people live and work.
Main Line Health also collaborates with leading clinical partners to expand access to specialized care. Through its affiliation with Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, pediatric care is provided at select Main Line Health locations, including neonatal intensive care units at its acute care hospitals and Bryn Mawr Hospital’s Inpatient Pediatric Unit and Emergency Department. Jefferson Health neurosurgeons and neurointerventionalists also provide 24/7 specialized care, including neurointervention and lifesaving stroke care.