ROCKPORT— Julie LeBlanc, RN, a charge nurse in the Emergency Department at Pen Bay Medical Center (PBMC), has been named SAFE Nurse of the Year, for 2020, by the Maine’s Department of Health and Human Services.

SAFE stands for sexual assault forensic examiner, and SAFE nurses provide compassionate and non-judgmental care to survivors of sexual assault, domestic violence, child abuse, elder abuse and human trafficking, performing head-to-toe exams, treating injuries and offering pregnancy prophylaxis and preventative treatment for sexually transmitted diseases. They may also perform medical forensic exams, collecting evidence and taking photographs that may later be used in the legal system.

Nationally, 1 in 3 women and 1 in 6 men have suffered some form of sexual violence, according to the Centers for Disease Control.

PBMC, Waldo county General Hospital and LincolnHealth share a team of nine certified SAFE nurses, including LeBlanc. To learn more about the SAFE Nurse Program, call Mary Ann Ordelt, RN, the coordinator of the Sexual Assault Forensic Examiner program, at 505-4025.

To learn more about Julie LeBlanc and how she hopes to use this award, read on for a Q & A between LeBlanc and PBMC.

What does it feel like to be singled out as a safe nurse of the year?
I’m flattered. There are a lot of accomplished SAFE nurses throughout Maine. I know I’m in great company.

How do you balance your regular duties as a charge nurse in the Emergency Department with your role as a regional SAFE nurse?

It can be a challenge. As forensic nurses, we can get a call at any time asking if we’re available to work with a patient. Last week, we had a sexual assault patient come in to our Emergency Department and there wasn’t another SAFE nurse available, so I stepped away from my charge nurse role and responded as a SAFE nurse. I wanted to be able to give a 100 percent to both roles but, I knew that wouldn’t be possible. Emotionally, it was difficult to accept the limitations of the situation. Fortunately, I work with a phenomenal team of ER nurses who support me, and so I was able to focus on my role as a SAFE nurse.

Has being a SAFE nurse changed the way you go about being a charge nurse?

I’m a better nurse in the Emergency Department because of my work as a forensic nurse. My forensic training and experience have offered me a wider lens. SAFE nurses have training in trauma-informed care, and how to care for a variety of populations, including LGBTQIA+. It has increased my awareness of the effects of trauma and the intersectionality of patients, especially those with depression, anxiety, suicidality, and substance use disorders. Forensic nursing requires one to be a really good listener. I think that training as a SAFE nurse has allowed me to develop the skills and patience to pause and really listen to people, and to meet them where they are.

Did you consciously set out to become a better listener?

I think maybe a little bit. The SAFE nurse process moves at a different pace than that of an ED nurse, which gives me permission to take a deep breath and slow down. Historically, everything in the ED is go, go, go, and we have to balance multiple patients and tasks at the same time. As SAFE nurses, we provide comprehensive, one-to-one care, which provides us with the time and space to pause, listen and observe. We follow our patient’s cues, allowing them control over the process. Of course, we do that as ER nurses, but being a SAFE nurse allows me to do that on a deeper level.

What does it mean to you to receive this recognition?

I’m hoping to use this recognition to increase awareness of our regional program. I’d like patients and people in our community to know that they can find a SAFE nurse in the emergency departments at PBMC, WCGH and LincolnHealth. We provide care for people who have experienced sexual assault, domestic violence, interpersonal violence, and intrafamilial violence, including suspected child and elder, abuse and neglect. I would like to use this opportunity to increase awareness among other health care professionals, as well. If they have any concerns about the nature of violence that one of their patients has survived, they should reach out to the forensic nursing team. It’s never wrong to call us, we take consultation calls all the time. Finally, I would love to inspire my colleagues to feel the same passion for and commitment to caring for survivors of violence. It’s an honor to work with these patients at such a vulnerable time in their lives. Making someone feel heard, safe and cared for, is gratifying.

Pen Bay Medical Center is part of MaineHealth, a not-for-profit integrated health system consisting of nine local hospital systems, a comprehensive behavioral healthcare network, diagnostic services, home health agencies, and more than 1,600 employed and independent physicians working together through an Accountable Care Organization. With more than 19,000 employees, MaineHealth is the largest health system in northern New England and provides preventive care, diagnosis and treatment to 1.1 million residents in Maine and New Hampshire. For more information, please visit pbmc.org.