SPOKANE, Wash. – Forensic nursing is a specialty type of medical care many are unaware of until the horrific moment they need it.
MultiCare has a dedicated team of these experts who all voluntarily have gotten into this specific line of medical expertise. They say they do it because they deeply care about those they work to help.
“The population for victims of crime could be anybody you know,” said MultiCare Forensic Nurse Dallas Flager. “It happens down your street, in your own home, in your workplace. Violence doesn’t discriminate and can affect all people.”
Flager has been involved with forensic nursing care since it launched here in 2021.
“You get to help the community,” Flager said. “And you get to help your coworkers when sometimes this is a really difficult subject for everybody who works in the department. We are always there, day and night. (Victims) are not alone.”
Flager works alongside Jen Cantrell, a Nursing Professional Development Specialist for MultiCare. Cantrell has worked as a nurse for 18 years and has worn many hats over her career. The drive to get into this line of work, and stick with it, is her deep love of caring for others.
Cantrell currently also serves as the Forensic Committee Chair. She says being there for these victims, often on the worst days of their lives, is like a calling.
“Believing them, first and foremost,” Cantrell said. “There’s no judgment. Also letting them have control back over their bodies. Giving them options and letting them set the pace. Whatever they are willing to do and want to do. And providing them with all of the options.”
Their entire team is ready around the clock to provide compassionate care. They all voluntarily got involved and have an on-call system in place. Everyone in the forensic program has special skills and ongoing training.
“Forensic nursing is really an umbrella term,” Cantrell said. “It encompasses anything where someone has been victimized. It could be sexual assault, DV, child or elder abuse.”
Both Flager and Cantrell are among a team who are leading the way in our region in regards to forensic nursing.
“We are very unique here at MultiCare,” Cantrell said. “We do provide forensic examinations and evidence collection for victims of domestic or inmate partner violence who have experienced strangulation. Our facility is one of the only in this region that collects evidence through the emergency department.”
And specifically for survivors of strangulation, they want it known, cost should never be a factor when it comes to seeking help. Washington is one of the first states in the nation to help survivors of strangulation with the Crime Victims Compensation Program.
MORE: https://app.leg.wa.gov/RCW/default.aspx?cite=7.68.803
“The visit to the ER, the scan of your neck and any other care you will receive at that time,” she said of what the program can help cover. “It’s really important for these victims to come forward and get medical treatment early.”
That way any lingering impact of the assault can be caught early and addressed. Both women say taking that first step, seeking help, is the most important.
“You don’t have to know where to start,” Cantrell said. “Just know you can come to the emergency department, and we will figure it out with you. You are not alone.”
“We can empower hope…hope saves lives,” Flager said.
And so do they in a multitude of ways.
April is sexual assault awareness and child abuse prevention month. Cantrell says it’s an excellent opportunity to talk about these issues but adds it’s important to do so year-round.
“It can be an uncomfortable topic… but just because you’re not talking about it doesn’t mean it’s not happening,” she said.
