Duluth nurse thrives in work at PAVSA

By Andrea Busche

Alisha Blazevic is an outgoing and extroverted woman. She is comfortable speaking in public, and enjoys spreading the word about her work. So, it might be a bit surprising to learn that she is the recipient of the Silent Advocate award — a special honor given to a woman who silently helps their communities and their neighbors.

But much of Blazevic’s work is done quietly, without any fanfare, in order to shelter and protect the vulnerable patients and victims she serves. Blazevic is the lead SANE (sexual assault nurse examiner) nurse at PAVSA (Program for Aid to Victims of Sexual Assault). She sees men and women ages 12 and older who have been victims of sexual violence. She also works as a registered nurse (RN) at Essentia Health, in the surgical intensive care unit.

Blazevic is involved with PAVSA because she feels called to the work. Please allow us to introduce you to Alisha Blazevic, our recipient of the 2019 Silent Advocate award.

Illinois-born

Blazevic is originally from Joliet, Ill. Her parents owned an industrial construction business, and she and her two siblings were expected to pitch in. Blazevic began working for the business by washing trucks and doing receptionist work, starting at 14. Blazevic was raised in a conservative, Catholic family, which perhaps made her a bit more apprehensive about coming out, which she did in the late 1990s. Since then, Blazevic shared that for the most part, she has been treated with kindness and support. Blazevic met her wife,

Blazevic earned a twoyear degree in nursing from Normandale Community College in Bloomington, Minn. She later earned a bachelor’s degree in nursing from the College of St. Scholastica.

Blazevic explained that it was “the love of the land” that brought the couple to Duluth, and they now reside in the Lakeside neighborhood. Seibert and Blazevic have been together for 21 years, and married since 2013.

Family life

Blazevic and her wife have three children: Sam, 15; Ben, and Josie, 10. The kids are incredibly active with sports, dance, art and acting. The family enjoys the occasional movie night and going to local rock beaches to pick agates. Their house is also home to four rescue cats.

The couple are very involved in their children’s schools. Seibert serves as the President of the Lester Park Elementary School Foundation, and Blazevic volunteers at the school when she can. And, while Seibert was a stay-at-home mom for 14 years, she now does customer relations work from their home.

Blazevic shared that their neighbors, along with their kids’ classmates and teachers, are very accepting of their nontraditional family. “Duluth is very progressive,” she said. “And, in Lakeside, no one has ever batted an eye. I describe the neighborhood as a ‘suburban utopia.’”

Work

As noted, Blazevic his one of 14 SANE nurses at PAVSA, in addition to her work as an RN at Essentia. She also serves as president of the Minnesota chapter of the International Association of Forensic Nurses.

Her role at PAVSA includes being on-call a lot. Any local emergency room visit where the victim reports a sexual assault involves a call to PAVSA. The SANE nurse on call then reports to the hospital to meet the victim. A phone call, which occasionally happens in the middle of the night, could send Blazevic to St. Luke’s, Essentia, Lakeview Hospital in Two Harbors, or Essentia Health St. Mary’s Hospital-Superior.

While incredibly rewarding, the job can be emotionally taxing. “I see people hours, to years, after the assault,” Blazevic said. “Patients can be crying and upset, angry, or just quiet. Our job is to meet them where they are, go with the flow, and give them the interaction that they need.”

Each patient exam takes between three and four hours. In conjunction with the exam, SANE nurses collect evidence and take a detailed narrative from the victim.

In addition to providing a 24-hour crisis line, PAVSA offers support advocacy, crisis counseling, legal advocacy, support groups and more. All services are 100 percent free and confidential to victims.

Nomination

Blazevic was nominated by Em Westerlund, a colleague at PAVSA. Westerlund said, “Alisha Blazevic has been a sexual assault nurse examiner (SANE) since 2007 when the PAVSA SANE program was founded. Since that time, Alisha has provided examinations for hundreds of victims in local emergency rooms. She meets each patient with compassion, empathy, and validation. These examinations, which can take up to four hours, are the first step in a sexual assault victim’s journey toward healing.

“I nominated Alisha for the Silent Advocate award because so much of her work in the field of forensic medicine occurs out of the public eye. Few in our community are aware that this service is available to victims of sexual assault at no cost. Alisha’s leadership and commitment to the PAVSA SANE program have been invaluable, and are a key reason why the program continues to provide forensic medical exams to victims of sexual assault 24 hours a day, seven days a week, 365 days a year.”

Of this award, Blazevic said, “It’s an absolute honor. It’s touching and very surprising. I don’t do this work to be recognized. I’m passionate about getting help for these people, and this is a great platform to remind people of the services offered at PAVSA.”

She continued, “I’m grateful for the undying support of my wife and family. Nicki has sacrificed just as much as I have. My family stops everything so I can go in when I’m called. So, this award truly belongs to my entire family.” D

The PAVSA crisis line, for victims of sexual violence, is answered 24 hours a day, seven days a week. The number is (218) 726-1931.

REEVES

Spirit Award