Attorney General Doug Peterson is pleased to announce that Anne Boatright, MSN, RN, SANE is joining the Nebraska Attorney General’s Office. Boatright will serve as the State Forensic Nursing Coordinator within the Criminal Bureau of the Attorney General’s Office.
In 2016, the Nebraska State Legislature created a new state program effective July 1, 2017 to improve sexual assault examinations and payment for the costs incurred by health care providers for such examinations. This new program will ensure that neither victims of sexual assault nor local law enforcement agencies are left to pay for costs associated with examinations. The new program will also ensure that forensic examination of sexual assault victims occur with uniformity in accordance with established best practices throughout Nebraska. Examination reimbursement occurs through the Nebraska Crime Commission using federal funds. The administrator of this program is established by statute in the Attorney General's Office with designated funding from the Nebraska State Legislature.
Similar Sexual Assault Nurse Examiner program administrator positions are housed in Attorneys Generals' offices throughout the country and are an integral part of the office’s ability to investigate, prosecute, and assist victims of sexual assault, assault, trafficking, and other serious crimes. The Administrator serves as a leader in statewide process improvement for sexual assault examinations, evidence collection, and prosecution.
Anne Boatright brings significant experience to this new position having herself treated many sexual assault victims, trained other forensic nurses, and developed Omaha Methodist Hospitals SANE treatment program into a well-respected program in Nebraska. In addition, Anne has served as an expert witness in criminal cases, assisted in Nebraska Human Trafficking Task Force trainings across the state, and lead a team on the updating of the sexual assault evidence kits that will be utilized in the new state program.
“We are fortunate to have Anne join our office in serving the state. She brings valuable experience which will provide critical statewide training,” stated General Peterson.
