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What’s New... What’s New... What’s New...

Florida Medical Center FIU Nursing Receives $1.5 Million

Cardiothoracic Surgeon, Grant for University-based Program to

Dr. Erik Beyer, Presents Train Sexual Assault Nurse Examiners

Case Study at The Society of for Rural and Underserved Florida

Nearly 80 percent of rapes and sexual assaults go unreported, in part because of
Thoracic Surgeons’ Annual Meeting a severe shortage of licensed health care specialists known as sexual assault nurse
examiners (SANEs), who help properly secure evidence from survivors of sexual
Dr. Erik Beyer, a board-certified cardiotho- assault, which can lead to higher prosecution rates.
racic surgeon, specializing in minimally inva- In a first-of-its-kind partnership, the Nicole Wertheim College of Nursing &
sive valve surgery and atrial fibrillation surgery Health Sciences and the Global Forensic and Justice Center at FIU will collaborate
on staff at Florida Medical Center, recently pre- with rural health clinics and hospitals on a university-based program to nearly
sented a case study called Surgical Video double Florida’s number of SANE-certified nurses to aid sexual assault survivors in
Pulmonary Embolectomy with Retrograde rural and underserved communities. The U.S. Health Resources and Services
Pulmonary Perfusion for Saddle Pulmonary Administration awarded a $1.5 million grant to Tami Thomas, associate dean of
Embolus at the 55th Society of Thoracic research for the college, to launch the Advanced Nursing Education-Regionally
Surgeons Annual Meeting. The conference is an Underserved Sexual Assault Nurse Examiner (RUSANE) program.
educational event that features interactive learn- SANE-certified nurses conduct forensic medical examinations, as well as provide
ing, thought provoking lectures from faculty survivors with physical and mental health care to help deal with the trauma.
and guest as well as hands on sessions. Reflecting on her experience in collection of forensic evidence from child survivors
“Presenting this case study that I prepared to of sexual abuse and assault, Thomas conveyed the significance of having properly
share with my peers at the conference was an trained nurses in this field. “SANE nurses are on the frontline to treat survivors
honor for me,” said Dr. Erik Beyer. Florida compassionately with the physical and emotional support they need, while assist-
Medical Center is always striving to be on the Dr. Erik Beyer ing the legal system in their efforts to bring the criminal perpetrators to justice,”
forefront of cardiac medical care. In 1974, she said.
Florida Medical Center was the first hospital in Broward County to perform open Over the next three years, the FIU RUSANE program will recruit, train and
heart surgery. “Florida Medical Center is offering some of the most advanced tech- deploy upwards of 30 eligible licensed registered nurses and certified advanced
nology when it comes to our cardiac program, and I congratulate Dr. Beyer on this practice registered nurses at clinics in Hendry and Glades counties, the city of Belle
latest accomplishment,” said Jeffrey M. Welch, CEO of Florida Medical Center. “We Glade in Palm Beach County, and the city of Sweetwater in Miami-Dade County.
have collectively made it our mission to provide the best care to the patients in our FIU Nursing will partner with local health care clinics in the four regions to pro-
community and to remain on the forefront of the latest minimally invasive tech- vide culturally appropriate didactic and clinical training to prepare the nurses for
niques and treatments in heart and vascular services.” SANE certification and serve at the clinics. Additionally, psychiatric-mental health
nurse practitioner faculty and counselors will be available to support sexual assault
survivors, as well as SANE-certified nurses as they cope with the challenges of the
job. The FIU Global Forensic and Justice Center will extend the impact of the pro-
gram through continuing education courses that will keep SANE nurses informed
on the latest forensic science and technological advancements to ensure efficacy of
forensic exams, evidence collection, and to improve retention of SANE-certified
nurses in the health care system.

Florida Blue Foundation

Mental Health Grant Enables

Palm Health Foundation

to Impact

Underserved Communities

The Florida Blue Foundation has awarded Palm Health Foundation a $238,218 four-
year grant to implement Mental Health First Aid (MHFA) in Palm Beach County’s under-
served communities. The grant will fund MHFA training for 2,000 residents and create
long-term, self-sustaining impact by certifying trainers in each community to provide
ongoing multi-lingual mental health education. MHFA is a national program that teach-
es skills to respond to the signs of mental illness and substance use. Palm Health
Foundation will facilitate partnerships with Alpert Jewish Family Services, Palm Beach
County’s MHFA coordinator, and the foundation’s Healthier Together communities in
West Palm Beach/Riviera Beach, Lake Worth, Delray Beach, Boynton Beach and Belle
Glade. The Palm Health-funded communities are a trusted network of health profession-
als and community members working together to solve complex health issues. They will
provide an established platform for launching MHFA. The funding will target commu-
nities where the need is high, but the number of residents seeking help is low because
of stigma and access to services. According to the Health and Human Services Office of
Minority Health, African Americans are 20 percent more likely to experience serious
mental health problems than the general population, yet the majority don’t seek profes-
sional help. Research has found that many African Americans rely on faith, family and
social communities for emotional support rather than turning to health care profession-
als, even though medical or therapeutic treatment may be necessary. Among Latinos, a
2001 Surgeon General’s report found that only 20 percent of Latinos with symptoms of
a psychological disorder talk to a doctor about their concerns.

38 March 2019 southfloridahospitalnews.com South Florida Hospital News