Pandemic brought challenges and required new approaches to help, expert says
Ames Tribune
Sexual assault nurse examiners on call in the early days of the pandemic sat by their phones, only for them not to ring odd to these nurses who serve around 700 patients a year in Polk and Story counties.
Something was off, certified sexual assault nurse examiner Shannon Knudsen said she thought at the time.
The nurses checked if their phones worked, fearing a call for help was missed, Knudsen said, but these were the first signs of a drop in survivors seeking medical services.
“That was kind of the initial shock,” Knudsen said. “Yes, we know there’s a pandemic, and we know that services may look different.” But she said advocates seeing fewer cases felt that something was off.