40 Hours Without Coverage: Funding Crisis Impacts Sexual Assault Forensic Care in Solano County

For 30 years, Napa Solano SANE-SART has provided specialized forensic medical care to survivors of sexual assault throughout the community, responding around the clock, including in the middle of the night, on weekends and during holidays.

Today, a funding crisis has created a significant gap in that coverage for Solano County jurisdictions.

Due to unresolved funding challenges, Napa Solano SANE-SART is currently unable to provide forensic examination coverage between 2 a.m. and 10 a.m., Monday through Friday, for Solano County jurisdictions. That represents 40 hours each week when the organization's specialized forensic nursing team is not available to respond.

For survivors, those hours matter.

Sexual assault does not happen on a schedule, and survivors cannot choose when they will need care. When someone makes the difficult decision to seek help following an assault, timely access to a trained Sexual Assault Nurse Examiner, or SANE, can be critical.

A sexual assault forensic examination can take several hours and involves much more than evidence collection. SANEs provide specialized medical care, document injuries, collect and preserve potential forensic evidence, and work to ensure survivors understand and consent to each step of the examination.

When timely access to an examination is unavailable, there is concern that critical forensic evidence may be lost, potentially affecting future investigations and prosecutions. Just as importantly, survivors seeking care during an extraordinarily vulnerable moment may find that the specialized services they need are not immediately available.

Highly Specialized Nurses Providing Critical Care

Sexual Assault Nurse Examiners are not generalist nurses stepping into a forensic role.

They are highly trained forensic medical professionals who complete extensive specialized education and clinical practice. Many maintain national certifications and continually train to provide trauma-informed, evidence-based care to survivors of sexual violence.

The work is demanding, both clinically and emotionally, and requires nurses to remain available to respond at all hours.

Yet SANE-SART's forensic examiners currently perform this on-call work for $20 per hour, according to the organization. For comparison, the average registered nurse in Northern California earns approximately $67 per hour.

For Napa Solano SANE-SART, the disparity raises a larger question about how communities value the specialized professionals responsible for providing forensic care to survivors and helping preserve evidence that may later become critical to the justice process.

A Funding Gap With a Solution

Napa Solano SANE-SART says it has been reaching out to leaders within Solano County since August 2025 in an effort to identify a sustainable funding solution.

Other jurisdictions and agencies served by the organization have found ways to support the program. Travis Air Force Base, the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation, and Napa County have provided funding to help maintain access to forensic examination services.

SANE-SART is asking Solano County to do the same.

According to the organization, $90,590 in annual funding would allow the program to restore full 24-hour, seven-day-a-week coverage for Solano County jurisdictions while also reducing per-exam costs for law enforcement agencies.

The organization says that amount represents less than one-fifth of what comparable counties invest in similar services.

Survivors Who Come Forward Deserve to Find Care Waiting

Sexual assault remains one of the most underreported crimes in the United States. For survivors who do make the decision to seek medical care or participate in the forensic process, having trained professionals available when they arrive is essential.

Napa Solano SANE-SART is now asking the community to help bring attention to the funding gap and advocate for the restoration of 24/7 coverage.

Community members who want to voice their support are encouraged to contact the Solano County Chief Administrative Officer's Office and ask county leaders to provide funding for SANE-SART forensic nursing services.

Solano County Chief Administrative Officer's Office
Phone: (707) 784-6100
6th Floor, 675 Texas St.
Fairfield, CA 94533

For three decades, SANE-SART nurses have answered calls at 2 a.m., left family gatherings, responded on holidays and given up weekends because survivors needed them.

The organization believes the ability to answer those calls should not depend on what time the phone rings.

Survivors do not choose when they need help. The question now facing Solano County is whether the specialized care they need will be there when they do.