DCFNE's Statement on DC's FY25 Judiciary and Public Safety Budget

Good afternoon, Chair Pinto and members of the committee. My name is Iris Potter and today I have the honor of testifying as the Associate Clinical Program Director of the District of Columbia Forensic Nurse Examiners (DCFNE).

DCFNE is a community-based nonprofit that serves victims of sexual assault and domestic violence, including adults and adolescents from all eight wards in the District, plus neighboring jurisdictions in Maryland and Virginia. With support from the Office of Victim Services and Justice Grants, our forensic nursing response has remained fully operational and uninterrupted for more than a decade. We ensure that when someone in our city experiences sexual assault or domestic violence, they are offered compassionate and trauma-informed services, free of charge, within an hour of presenting to the hospital. DCFNE has responded to more than 7,300 victims who have sought our care since our inception as a nonprofit in 2013.

As the sole provider of medical forensic care for adults in the District, DCFNE is essential to ensuring that victims’ rights are upheld under the District’s Sexual Assault Victim Rights Amendment Act (SAVRAA), which guarantees the right to access a medical forensic exam after a sexual assault. Beyond the physical and emotional steps towards healing that a medical forensic exam can represent for a victim of crime, it can also serve a very practical purpose of facilitating a smooth entryway to accessing District services and connecting victims with resources. Further, it is shown that when victims receive this level of expert care, there is an increased likelihood they will receive just outcomes through the legal and judicial system, (1) thus enhancing public safety in the District of Columbia.

Having recently celebrated my 10-year anniversary with DCFNE, I’ve witnessed numerous changes in our organization over my tenure and in the broader field of nursing. I want to briefly discuss some of these observations, as they contribute to DCFNE’s ability to serve victims of crime and provide context to DCFNE’s FY25 budget needs.

First, forensic nursing requires a level of advanced training that is not taught in nursing school. Thus, many of the nurses hired by DCFNE have little to no experience in forensic nursing. Becoming a highly-qualified forensic nurse requires many hours of hands-on clinical training, resulting in a significant upfront investment of roughly $7,500 for every nurse we onboard. The average length of orientation is 169 hours, which includes extensive clinical training and education to prepare them to practice independently. This comprehensive and holistic training is necessary to ensure the expertise of our staff and it's also shown to reduce turnover. (2)

Next, recent evidence suggests that up to 32% of the nursing workforce is considering leaving their current job or the profession in general. (3) DCFNE recognizes the need for staffing sustainability in the wake of vicarious trauma and burnout among healthcare professionals. The reality is that even with the most holistic onboarding process, forensic nurses experience high levels of burnout and vicarious trauma (4) and typically remain in the field, on average, for only two years. (5) Over the last three years, DCFNE has hired 23 forensic nurses. Only 11 are still working with DCFNE today despite their satisfaction being part of the DCFNE team. As a veteran nurse and confidant, I’ve sat with many of these departing nurses as they have agonized over the decision to leave. Many of the nurses who left cited compensation and benefits as the driving force behind the decision to resign as these did not counter the emotional toll of the job.

Finally, DCFNE has implemented wage increases over the last several years, in an attempt to keep pace with nursing industry standards and a 45.2% higher than average cost of living in the District, (6) but we are still behind the curve. DCFNE’s hourly pay scale for nurses starts at $40 per hour and maxes out at a base rate of $46 per hour regardless of their nursing experience with or outside of DCFNE. In contrast, the average hourly rate for Registered Nurses in Washington, DC is $46.49. (7) Further, a 2024 study estimated that a single person needed to make $47.80 per hour in order to live comfortably in Washington, DC. (8) DCFNE conducted a salary survey in March 2024 that indicated our most experienced nurses on staff were making $55 per hour or higher at their primary nursing jobs. Thus, it’s imperative that DCFNE continues to adjust nursing salaries in order to provide not just a livable but a competitive wage to retain our highly trained and experienced nursing staff, and our FY25 Budget will reflect that.

Chair Pinto, you have acknowledged the role we play in the District’s Public Safety Plan and the government’s fundamental obligation to work with experts like us to keep the District’s residents safe. (9) We are concerned that the Mayor’s proposed budget includes funding sources that have already been spent, which leaves the victim services funding CUT – not increased – by $2.7 million dollars. DCFNE will not be able to sustain our 24/7 on-call response to victims of sexual assault and domestic violence if our budget is reduced in FY25.

We appreciate the Council’s recognition of the critical need that DCFNE fills in the District’s continuum of care for sexual assault survivors, and we are here today urging the Council to reverse the budget cuts and maintain the current FY24 victim services funding levels, at minimum.

Thank you for your leadership and your commitment to ensuring the best possible response to victims and survivors of crime in the District. DCFNE will submit this testimony for the record and I am happy to answer any questions.

1 - Campbell, R., Patterson, D., & Lichty, L. (2005). The Effectiveness of Sexual Assault Nurse Examiner (SANE)
Programs. A Review of Psychological, Medical, Legal, and Community Outcomes. Trauma, violence & abuse. 6. 313-29. 10.1177/1524838005280328.

2 - Burton, C., Carey, S., Draughon Moret, J. (2022). Ready for Anything: A Holistic Approach to Training Sexual Assault Nurse Examiners. Journal of Forensic Nursing 18(1):p 4-12. DOI: 10.1097/JFN.0000000000000362

3 - Martin, B., Kaminski-Ozturk, N., O’Hara, C., Smiley, R. (2023). Examining the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on burnout and stress among US nurses. Journal of Nursing Regulation 14(1): p 4-12. https://www.journalofnursingregulation.com/action/showPdf?pii=S2155-8256%2823%2900063-7

4 - Flarity, K., Nash, K., Jones, W., Steinbruner, D. (2016) Intervening to Improve Compassion Fatigue Resiliency in Forensic Nurses. Advanced Emergency Nursing Journal 38(2):p 147-156, April/June 2016. | DOI: 10.1097/TME.0000000000000101 https://journals.lww.com/aenjournal/abstract/2016/04000/intervening_to_improve_compassion_fatigue .9.aspx

5 - Iritani, K. (2016). Sexual assault: Information on training, funding, and the availability of forensic examiners (report). https://www.gao.gov/assets/680/676230.pdf

6 - Salary.com: Cost of living in Washington, DC: https://www.salary.com/research/cost-of-living/washington-dc

7 - Indeed.com: Registered nurse salary in Washington, DC: https://www.indeed.com/career/registered nurse/salaries/Washington--DC

8 - Smartasset.com: Salary needed to live comfortably - 2024 study: https://smartasset.com/data-studies/salary-needed-live-comfortably-2024