(Radio Iowa) - The Iowa Attorney General's Office is proposing an update to state rules that outline the standards for nurses who are certified to conduct sexual assault examinations.
Under the proposal, those who are not certified to collect rape kit evidence would no longer be eligible for state reimbursement for conducting the exam. Susan Krisco, the Deputy Attorney General for Criminal Justice, says the goal is to ensure any evidence collected is admissible in court. Krisko says an emergency room doctor typically spends between 20 and 25 minutes with a patient, while an exam to collect evidence of a sexual assault takes three to four hours.
A spokesperson for the Iowa Nurses Association says the group appreciates the attorney general's request to increase the reimbursement fee for nurses who are certified to conduct sexual assault exams and, for the first time, provide them mileage reimbursement.