Forensic Examiner Services: St. Peter’s Health Partners
Forensic Examiners care for patients when health care and the legal or criminal justice system intersect. Our team follows a patient-centered approach with options and guidance for each exam. Patients can consent to all or partial services including documentation/photography of injuries, evidence/DNA collection, testing, and prophylaxis treatment. Forensic examiners work alongside advocates to ensure a survivor has as comfortable and empowering an experience as possible.
Through St. Peter’s Health Partners, our program supports individuals at St. Peter’s Hospital, Samaritan Hospital, and Albany Memorial Campus - all SAFE-Designated Hospitals through the New York State Department of Health.
We respond 24 hours a day to patients who report:
- Sexual Assault
- Domestic Violence/Intimate Partner Violence
- Physical Assault
- Caregiver Abuse
- Child Sexual Abuse
- Maltreatment/Neglect
- Human Trafficking
- Workplace Violence
All Forensic Examiners within St. Peter’s Health Partners are certified Sexual Assault Nurse Examiners (SANEs) through the New York State Department of Health. When necessary, Forensic Examiners can also provide expert or fact witness testimony in court cases.
Join Our Team
Become a part of our Forensic Examiner team, covering St. Peter’s Hospital, Samaritan Hospital, and Samaritan Hospital - Albany Memorial Campus. Our program hires previously trained SANEs or will train those who have not yet completed the training.
For more information about the Forensic Examiner Program, please contact Grace Coons, Forensic Examiner Program Manager at Grace.Coons@sphp.com
Frequently Asked Questions
A forensic exam is an opportunity to receive specialized care from trained medical staff. At the beginning, the steps of the exam are reviewed. Each step of the process is a choice and optional. The examiner will proceed with parts of the exam where permission has been granted. This includes the examiner obtaining a detailed medical history and history of the event, a head-to toe physical exam, evidence collection and testing/treatment if indicated. Any evidence collected can be released with consent or held securely.
You can receive forensic medical care any time after an assault. However, evidence collection is recommended within 120 hours after an assault.
To best preserve evidence around your body, you can (but are certainly not required to) avoid drinking, bathing, showering, brushing your teeth, using mouthwash, or combing hair avoid washing hands, swimming/hot tub/jacuzzi/saunas or applying any lotions/creams/powders.
You can also submit any personal items like the clothes you wore during the assault to your forensic examiner.
Most forensic exams happen in the emergency department (ED), but we can provide forensic medical care at any patient unit in the hospital.
A trained forensic examiner completes this exam. This medical provider has specialized training to collect evidence in a sensitive and trauma-informed way. An advocate will also respond alongside the forensic examiner. Based on your wishes, an advocate can be available for all, parts, or none of the exam.
At SPHP, all forensic examiners are SAFE trained, and the responding provider(s) will be NYSAFE certified through NYS Department of Health. Many forensic examiners on the team have additional international board certifications in the specialty including SANE-A, SANE-P and AFN-C. All certifications require examiners to complete continuing education in the field.
You do NOT have to report to police to have evidence collected.
- If you would like to make a police report while at the hospital, your advocate can request an officer come to the emergency department to take a report.
- If you would like to report to police after your hospital visit, an advocate can accompany you to the police station while you give your statement. You may also have evidence released to police any time after collection.
- If you would not like to report to police at the hospital, you can still have evidence collected and safely stored. This allows you time to make the best choice for you.
Only if you want to. Each patient has the choice to receive a follow-up call from our team - we won't call you without your permission. A trained forensic examiner will check in to see how you are, answer any questions you may have, and go over any discharge plan from the hospital. The advocate will also follow up and can accompany you or your loved one to any follow up appointments or legal proceedings.
If you have questions about your options, you can call our 24/7 hotline anytime at 518-271-3257 to speak with a confidential crisis counselor.
If you are already at the hospital, our team can be paged to any of the St. Peter's Health Partners Hospitals to provide you care at anytime after an assault. They can review your options with you and answer any questions you may have, giving you the opportunity to make an informed decision about your care.
You decide what happens to your kit. If you would like to hold your evidence, it will be stored in a secure location for up to 20 years, unless you decide to release your evidence to the police.
You can also request to have your evidence kit destroyed and/or have your personal items returned to you if you submitted them to us for evidence.