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The concept of SART came into development in early 1997. While the number of sexual assault crimes was increasing, the number of reported assaults and assault convictions remained constant and in some cases decreased. Victims expressed concern about having to wait for hours in a busy emergency room. Victims were dissatisfied with having to tell so many strangers intimate details of their violations. It was obvious a new approach to treat the problem was needed. Local systems needed to come together and develop a way to make victims feel safe and comfortable with reporting their violations. From this need came the sexual assault response program called SART. On January 1, 1999 SART became fully operational and since then has doubled the number of nurse examiners who are part of the program.
SART is a comprehensive approach to responding to sexual assault. The project, based on the SANE (sexual assault nurse examiner) model, combines forensically trained nurses, with law enforcement officers, and victim advocates to meet all the needs of a sexual assault victim. The forensic nurse examiners have extensive training in evidence collection and are able to recognize signs of forced sexual intercourse. Nurses add state of the art equipment to this acquired knowledge and evaluate the trauma associated with a rape. Then benefit of utilizing specially trained nurses is two pronged. Having the nurses first allows the victim to be treated immediately once the nurse arrives and lessens the time a victim has to wait. The second prong gives law enforcement and prosecutors comfort in knowing evidence has been collected by a sexual assault expert.
SART is not limited to the medical component or to the collection of evidence from a sexual assault. Victims of assaults receive comprehensive treatment. SART recognizes that caring for the emotional well being of an assault victim is just as important as arresting a perpetrator and securing a conviction. Rape Crisis Volunteers respond to the hospital to offer emotional support in the aftermath of victimization. Because SART recognizes that the victim still needs help after leaving the hospital, the Rape Crisis Volunteer refers the victim to a Victim Advocate. The Victim Advocate is available to help from the onset of the crime until as long as the victim needs an advocate. The advocate provides crisis intervention, court accompaniment, Victims Compensation assistance, a therapy referral to a certified clinician and other assistance needed to overcome the violation of a sexual assault.
SART utilizes a case review that is comprised of a prosecutor, a victim advocate, law enforcement detective, and a forensic nurse examiner. This compilation of professional helps to strengthen sexual assault cases because it allows the prosecutor to have an opportunity to interact with everyone involved in the investigation. The prosecutor is further prepared because he has experts in the field of sexual assault who are able to testify thus strengthening the criminal case at trial. 
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