St. Tammany Coroner to Reconsider SANE Program

St. Tammany Parish Coroner Dr. Christopher Tape said he will reevaluate his decision to suspend the Sexual Assault Nurse Examiner (SANE) program after reviewing agency records. Tape had previously announced that he would suspend the SANE program upon taking office on March 25.

Click here for more on the controversy regarding Tape and his suspension of the SANE program.

“My decision was based on three factors: the cost to the people of St. Tammany, the liability to the agency I now lead, and legal factors regarding evidence collection,” Tape said. “I understand that my decision has created a surprise hardship for the other four parishes in Region 9 of the State Health Department, including my fellow coroners, law enforcement, hospitals and, most importantly, for potential survivors of sexual assault.

“I may have failed to make clear that I think the SANE program is a tremendous asset to the community, and that my concern is the well-being of St. Tammany,” Tape said. “I’m coroner of this parish, after all, not the entire region. In only four days in office, I’ve learned that the SANE program has cost the people of St. Tammany more than $60,000 so far this year – and nearly $200,000 in 2023. Fewer than half of SANE cases last year came from the Parish I serve. This concerns me, particularly when legal and liability issues are factored in. Despite those issues and my remaining concerns, I have heard you,”

 Tape said. “I’m willing to re-launch the program for a trial period while allowing the other parishes and agencies involved to develop alternative plans, or for us all to come to the table and work out an equitable funding solution. To that end, I will be inviting the coroners from the other Region 9 parishes to meet next week, after the Easter Holiday.”

“I failed to communicate earlier that I sincerely want to revive the program for St. Tammany Parish, and am willing to work with other agencies to re-organize and re-implement it region-wide,” Tape said. “I apologize for failing to communicate these issues sooner, and hope the people of St. Tammany will give me a chance to prove my commitment to serving all of our community in the best and most cost-effective ways possible.”