They are called SANE nurses, or sexual assault nurse examiners, and they play an often-critical role in helping rape victims seek justice.

Right now, though, there is a shortage of such nurses in Eastern Oregon.

The Oregon Legislature can do something about that by earmarking funds to help small hospitals in the rural sections of the state hire more such nurses. We urge lawmakers to do so, fast.

A victim of sexual assault faces an array of difficult choices, challenges and trauma and a key part of finding justice for such crimes is the rape exam. That exam is a combination of medical and forensic procedures that is both a way to treat a victim for an injury but also a method to gather evidence to bring a perpetrator to justice.

Yet if there is no one qualified to complete such an exam the odds of securing justice diminish. That is unacceptable.

It is the reality in places like John Day, where right now there is no one qualified to complete such exams at the city’s Blue Mountain Hospital. The hospital, the only one in Grant County, has not had a trained sexual assault examiner on staff since 2021. That means if a victim of sexual assault arrives at the medical facility, they must travel to St. Charles Medical Center in Bend, a three-hour drive away.

That means a victim not only must tackle the trauma of the assault and police involvement, but they also are compelled to jump in a car and drive to Bend. Sometimes, a victim will simply give up and decide to go home. That’s because the exam itself is time consuming, and obviously must be precise. An exam can take up to six hours and survivors often can’t eat, drink, shower or use the bathroom in an effort to preserve evidence.

That means potential justice vanishes and a perpetrator can, conceivably, be able to commit more sexual assault crimes.

The situation at John Day isn’t rare. In fact, there is a shortage of sexual assault examiners across the state, but rural areas are hit especially hard. Now, there are only 16 sexual assault nurse examiners in all of Northeast Oregon, and only three of those are certified by the state. Three counties, Grant, Morrow and Baker, have no SANE nurses, although it’s worth noting that Blue Mountain Hospital is training two nurses to become sexual assault nurse examiners and Saint Alphonsus Medical Center in Baker City is recruiting for the position.

Resources for sexual assault victims in our region are robust. Except when it comes to the critical element of conducting a rape exam.

That needs to change and lawmakers will have an opportunity to do that when the next legislative session begins Feb. 5.

The fact many rural hospitals in Oregon do not have a deep bench in terms of employees isn’t a secret. Rural communities often prove to be hard areas to bring medical recruits into. Funding also plays a role but that is where lawmakers can step in and make a difference.

Allocating money to recruit, train and deploy more sexual assault nurse examiners throughout the eastern region of the state not only makes sense but should be a vital goal for those voters have elected to represent them in the Oregon Legislature.