Amanda Wilde (Host): The United States is one of the highest ranked countries in the world for human trafficking. Hear how nurses at First Health are fighting to identify and prevent human trafficking in a conversation with Nurse Crystal Alam, Sexual Assault Nurse Examiner Program Coordinator at First Health Moore Regional Hospital in Pinehurst.

 Welcome to First Health and Wellness Podcast, connecting you to the people and medical services that make your life healthier. I'm Amanda Wilde. Crystal, thank you so much for being here today to talk about a rather dark and powerful undercurrent here in America.

Crystal Alam, BSN, RN, SANE-A, SANE-P: Yeah, thank you for having me.

Host: Yeah, I mean, we probably don't talk about it enough. Let's start with what you do. What is a sexual assault nurse examiner exactly?

Crystal Alam, BSN, RN, SANE-A, SANE-P: Yeah, so a sexual assault nurse examiner, which we also refer to as a SANE nurse, is a registered nurse who has received specialized training to provide comprehensive care to victims of sexual assault. You may also hear us called forensic nurse examiners because we've also received training on how to care for survivors of physical abuse, domestic violence, and human trafficking.

Host: And describe your role as First Health's SANE program coordinator. What is that role?

Crystal Alam, BSN, RN, SANE-A, SANE-P: I've been with First Health for about eight years, working in the emergency department, and I have been a SANE for about seven years now. And in working in the ED and providing care to these patients, I had proposed to leadership at First Health that we create this position, a SANE program coordinator, that would oversee the care of all of these patients.

So, in June of 2024, I transitioned into this role, with a long term goal to get all four of our locations on a 24/7 on-call coverage program. To where any time a patient checks into the emergency department reporting a sexual assault or abuse that we would have an on-call SANE come in and take care of that patient and provide that comprehensive care that I spoke about earlier.

Host: That is an amazing program and I'm sure well used. It's unfortunate that such a program is needed. Can you talk about human trafficking and how it is affecting our communities here in Moore County?

Crystal Alam, BSN, RN, SANE-A, SANE-P: Human trafficking is basically modern day slavery that involves the use of force, fraud, or coercion to obtain some type of labor or commercial sex act. Every year, millions of men, women, and children are trafficked worldwide, including right here in the United States. It can happen in any community and victims can be any age, race, gender, or nationality.

So traffickers, they may use different types of methods to lure their victims such as violence, manipulation, false promises, romantic relationships.

Host: What do you advise people as you educate the community about what to look for in terms of human trafficking in a situation like that?

Crystal Alam, BSN, RN, SANE-A, SANE-P: I always say if something doesn't look right or seem right, say something, not necessarily maybe intervene to that person, but, contact your law enforcement. For the nurses, and even in public, you know, if you have somebody who seems like they're not allowed to speak, and the person they're with is answering all the questions for them, that is a red flag, or if they won't make eye contact with you, that is something that really sticks out.

So, here in the hospital, we look for symptoms that don't match the story for why they're coming in, and trying to figure out what exactly is going on.

Host: As I mentioned, it seems like we don't talk about this enough. So that educating the community piece sounds really important. What are some myths and misconceptions do you think we have regarding human trafficking?

Crystal Alam, BSN, RN, SANE-A, SANE-P: One of the biggest myths and misconceptions is that human trafficking only happens in other countries or foreign countries. North Carolina is a hot spot for human trafficking. It's one of the top 10 states, actually, and some of the reasons is because we have rural areas and military communities that frequently move around a lot.

So those areas are kind of known for conducting human trafficking. The proximity of I-95 is another factor because it makes it easier for criminals to transport victims and to escape, so, it's definitely happening here in North Carolina. Another myth is that human trafficking is only sex trafficking, but there's also forced labor and exploitation.

And these types of trafficking are commonly found in massage parlors, sweatshops, agriculture, hotels, restaurants. And if you think about North Carolina specifically, we have numerous rural agriculture areas with high demand for cheap labor. So, here in the ED when I've educated the nurses, when you have someone come in with an injury while they were working, were they given the proper equipment, safety equipment, and what exactly happened there, and signs to look for, for labor trafficking?

Host: So, it's really different forms of slavery and it is happening here.

Crystal Alam, BSN, RN, SANE-A, SANE-P: Yes, and it's not just happening to women and girls, which is also another myth, is that, only women and girls are trafficked. But many males are victimized by sex traffickers, and more specifically, the LGBTQ males are seen as particularly vulnerable to trafficking. So, when we see these patients, it's very important that we do our safety screening assessment to make sure that we are helping those that need the help.

Host: How can the general public help not only to keep themselves and their families safe from human trafficking, but also working to help keep human trafficking at bay from those vulnerable people in our general population?

Crystal Alam, BSN, RN, SANE-A, SANE-P: Although I work with patients of all ages, you know, I do tend to specialize more in pediatrics, but I will always take every opportunity to educate parents on ways to keep their children safe. And one way is I truly believe the cell phone, although it is very convenient, is probably one of the most harmful inventions.

I don't think that children should have smartphones until they are old enough to truly understand the responsibilities that come with having a phone, because cell phones and social media are how criminals are gaining access to our children. And so I will always educate parents to go through their kids phones, go through the apps and make sure that, for example, the calculator app is actually a calculator app and not a secret messaging app, which I've seen before.

And this also leads into preventing kids from exploitation. So, having safety measures and rules with cell phones and social media, I think is one of the biggest ways to help prevent a trafficking situation.

And also feel, you know, after 9 p. m, nothing good happens with a kid and a cell phone alone in their room. So, no need to have phones in rooms by themselves at night.

Host: I'm really understanding from this that education is the key to get to prevention of human trafficking. Knowing what you're seeing and knowing what to do if you suspect it's going on is the beginning of that for those of us who are not professionals.

Crystal Alam, BSN, RN, SANE-A, SANE-P: Yeah, definitely. Education because the movies show one thing and then what's happening in real life is a little different. So, any opportunity that you can find to attend a human trafficking symposium, or some sort of conference is so beneficial and will help you see things in a different way that you may not have ever known before. So, yeah, education is huge.

Host: Crystal, thank you so much for explaining how First Health of the Carolinas is educating the community and providing physical medical care and support for victims of human trafficking.

Crystal Alam, BSN, RN, SANE-A, SANE-P: Yeah. Thank you so much. I appreciate you guys having me on here today.

Host: That was Nurse Crystal Alam, Sexual Assault Nurse Examiner Program Coordinator at First Health Moore Regional Hospital in Pinehurst. To learn more about First Health medical services and emergency care options, visit first health.org. If you found this podcast helpful, please share it on your social channels and you can check out the full podcast library for other topics of interest to you.

Thank you for listening to First Health and Wellness Podcast, brought to you by First Health of the Carolinas. We look forward to you joining us again.