Sexual assault testing gets $700K funding bump in Nova Scotia budget

In its latest budget released Thursday, the Nova Scotia government has promised $700,000 in funding to expand the province's Sexual Assault Nurse Examiner program to two more areas. 

The province came under fire last month after a CBC investigation revealed a Pictou woman waited three days for a SANE team to travel from Antigonish to the Aberdeen Hospital in New Glasgow.

"I couldn't shower. I had to take my clothes that I wore that night and put them in a plastic bag, so that the evidence wouldn't be tampered with and that's basically about it. I wasn't allowed to shower," said the woman, whose identity is protected, said in an interview.

"That was really hard to deal with because when something like that happens, you just want to feel clean again."

Prior to today's announcement, there were only two regions in the province with specialized teams trained to respond to victims' needs and do the required testing. Halifax has a SANE team of 15 registered nurses. It responds to all metro hospitals within one hour of a victim reporting to triage.

Another SANE team is based in Antigonish, serving six hospitals in the outlying areas. Both programs are funded by the Department of Health.

Previously, Health Minister Leo Glavine said Cape Breton would be a priority.