Monadnock Center for Violence Prevention (MCVP) presented Cheshire Medical Center’s Lindsey Cushing, WHNP, SANE-A, and Kelsey Page, RN, SANE-A, with an MCVP Partner in Prevention award at their annual meeting and awards night on October 4, 2021.
“These community partners are working to support survivors in times of crisis, combat future violence and help with the healing process,” MCVP wrote in a press release about the event and award. “We love our community and are so thankful for their work supporting survivors of domestic violence, stalking, sexual assault, and human sex trafficking.”
Cushing and Page work in Cheshire's OB/GYN department and are part of a team providing care in the Emergency Department for adult and adolescent survivors shortly after a sexual assault. Members of the SANE team at Cheshire are Registered Nurses (RNs) or Advanced Practice Registered Nurses (APRNs) who have been specially trained to provide comprehensive, specialized care to sexual assault survivors, including the collection of forensic evidence. In New Hampshire, the training process includes 64-hours of online coursework, hands-on clinical simulations, and an extensive orientation period.
In early 2021 Cushing and Page proposed a more robust forensic nursing program that would expand the population served to include domestic violence survivors and pediatric survivors of sexual assault. This program would offer greater versatility of services including inpatient consultations and outpatient follow-up. Senior Leadership and local stakeholders have voiced robust support for this program and Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center’s Center for Population Health has provided a $25,000 grant towards improving the sexual assault services offered at Cheshire Medical Center. The Partners in Prevention award is in recognition of this program development, in addition to the compassionate care these nurses provide to members of our community.
MCVP is a domestic and sexual violence crisis center that serves Cheshire County and 14 towns in Hillsborough County. At the awards ceremony, they honored 13 community members including Cushing and Page.
Other award categories include Partner in Justice, Partners in Education, Above & Beyond Business Partner, Outstanding Volunteer, Doug Austin White Ribbon Award, Outstanding Holiday Families Sponsor, and Above & Beyond Community Partners. The award winners are nominated by MCVP advocates and are voted on by the entire team.
For more information about the SANE Team at Cheshire, visit the article Raising Awareness about Sexual Assault: SANE Care.