Coliseum Medical Centers offers forensic nurses for sexual assault patients

MACON, Georgia (41NBC/WMGT) – Coliseum Medical Center in Bibb County is the only hospital in the area offering forensic nurse examiners for sexual assault patients. 

The nurses are trained to look for specific evidence and ask questions that keep the patient calm.

The forensic nurse examiner coordinator at Coliseum, Denise Atkinson, explained victims get uncomfortable with providers who don’t have this type of training. 

“The problem has always been that your average emergency nurse and most of your physicians don’t have any training in evidence collection or examining forensic patients,” said Atkinson.

Coliseum currently has two forensic nurse examiners and a few more finishing up their clinical training. Their goal is to have ten.