Care After Sexual Assault From St. Joseph Medical Center Nurse Examiners
Penn State Health St. Joseph Medical Center has sexual assault nurse examiners, called SANEs, on call 24/7 to provide compassionate and understanding care to victims of sexual assault. These nurses are registered nurses with special training in caring for recent victims of sexual assault and in collecting evidence of an assault, and they treat both the physical and psychological needs of patients and provide longer-term options for care and support.
Care is given in the Emergency Department at Penn State Health St. Joseph Medical Center, 2500 Bernville Rd., Reading, PA 19605. If you have an emergency, call 911.
What happens when you arrive:
- Register at the check-in desk and let them know you need to be seen because of a sexual assault.
- You will be given priority for a medical screening exam and taken to the first available exam room. This exam checks for any injuries that need quick medical attention.
- Every patient must be medically cleared by a medical provider before the SANE nurse arrives, so that all your medical needs are cared for before the sexual assault examination begins.
- Staff also contact Safe Berks, which can send a sexual assault advocate to the Emergency Department to meet with you privately. Safe Berks offers support, including resources and follow-up care.
- Once you are medically cleared, the hospital contacts the nurse examiner, who contacts the Penn State College of Nursing SAFE-T Center. That center provides a second experienced nurse examiner, called a teleSANE, through special telehealth technology. With your permission, the teleSANE joins every exam on a video screen and can talk to and support both you and the on-site nurse. The SANE and teleSANE respond to the Emergency Department within one hour of being contacted.
- The nurse examiner speaks with your medical team, then meets you and talks with you about what happens during the sexual assault examination, which is called a forensic exam. The exam takes place in one of the emergency department exam rooms, which may include a private bathroom and shower. The unit has state-of-the-art technology from the SAFE-T Center, including a mobile digital camera about the size of a cellphone; patients can even take their own photos if they choose.
You choose what works best for you. Nothing will be done without your permission, and you have the right to change your mind at any time about any step during your Emergency Department visit, including whether the teleSANE is present. You may not have to report your assault to law enforcement.
How long you will be there depends on many factors, such as whether you need medical attention in addition to the forensic exam or need additional social work resources after the exam. When the forensic exam is complete, you are discharged from the Emergency Department with specific instructions for follow-up care and safety.
Language services are available for non-English speaking patients.
To contact your St. Joseph Medical Center sexual assault nurse examiner, call 610-378-2289 or 610-378-2330. The hospital's general number is 610-378-2000. The page does not say what this care costs.
Source: pennstatehealth.org/locations/st-joseph, read September 26, 2026.
The details
In Penn State Health St. Joseph Medical Center’s words
At Penn State Health St. Joseph Medical Center, our sexual assault nurse examiners (SANEs) are on call 24/7 to provide compassionate and understanding care to victims of sexual assault. Our emergency department is staffed by nurses with special training in caring for recent victims of sexual assault and collecting evidence of an assault. These sexual assault nurse examiners (SANEs) are registered nurses who treat both the physical and psychological needs of sexual assault patients and provide…
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Penn State Health St. Joseph Medical Center
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This listing summarizes publicly available information from pennstatehealth.org/locations/st-joseph. Last recorded review: September 26, 2026. Contact the provider to confirm eligibility, hours and availability before you go. If something here is wrong, tell us.