A safe haven for victims
- March 2004
- Français
Oftentimes, victims of sexual assault or domestic violence find their first safe haven in a hospital emergency department, where injuries are treated and counselling begins. The Sexual Assault Treatment Centre - Niagara has been serving the Niagara community for 12 years through St. Catharines General Hospital Site, and has recently undergone both a name change and an expansion of services.
The new name of the program is Sexual Assault / Domestic Violence Treatment Program - Niagara. The program provides services to Niagara residents who are victims of recent sexual assault, and in the last few months, has expanded to also offer a domestic violence program, located at St. Catharines General Site in the Emergency Department.
"A resident who has been assaulted can go to any Emergency Department in the peninsula and, if necessary, will be driven both to and from the treatment centre," explains Auggie McGloin, Nurse Liaison. "Once they arrive, they are met by a specially-trained RN who provides emotional support and informs the clients about their treatment options. The St. Catharines General Hospital Site has a safe place where specially-trained nurses can provide medical care, emotional care and forensic evidence collection, and where client's choices and confidentiality are respected."
The recent hiring of eight new on-call nurses brings the nursing complement to 13, and the service will soon be available 24/7. Last year, the program treated 86 clients who were sexually assaulted. "Unfortunately, the need for our services continues to increase and, for that reason, we have expanded our program to assist those who are victims of domestic violence," Ms. McGloin says.
"The sad facts are that in Niagara in 2002, police were called out to 3,491 domestic violence calls for service. Of these, approximately 1,200 involved criminal complaints, from which 772 persons were charged," says Detective Sergeant Jim Baskerville, the Niagara Regional Police Service's Domestic Violence/ Victims Services Co-ordinator. "We know that about three-quarters of all domestic violence is never reported to police, and for that reason, the new program being offered at the hospital is a useful alternative for victims who aren't yet ready to involve police. As well, this is a good complement to existing Police and Community Services for those victims who have already asked for our help."
"Many times, victims of sexual assault or domestic violence, usually women, come to Niagara hospitals for treatment, and try to hide the fact that their injuries were the result of violence," Auggie says. "We have trained our emergency nurses at every Niagara emergency department to provide women with a chance to tell their story in a very safe environment. It is our goal to help these women, not threaten them with police involvement when they are frightened of the future. If women do state that it was a sexual assault or domestic violence, they can be driven to and from St. Catharines General Hospital Site where specially-trained nurses will counsel and make contact with other agencies to help the victim."
For victims of sexual assault or domestic violence who come to the hospital, there are a range of treatment options available. Those options are:
- Medical treatment for injuries, preventive medication for sexually-transmitted diseases and pregnancy
- Documentation of injuries on body diagrams and photographs of injuries
- In cases of sexual assault, a forensic evidence kit could be completed. This involves collection of specimens for DNA and drug testing
- Police involvement
- Completing a Third Party Report, a process whereby the victim's anonymity is maintained but consent has been given to allow program staff to give the police a description of the assailant
- Follow-up phone call from the Nurse Liaison to assess client's physical and emotional status and make appropriate linkages
- Counselling at St. Catharines General Site or with a community agency
Want more information?
The Sexual Assault/Domestic Violence Treatment Program works with several community services in the region. For more information, call Mary Essar, Co-ordinator, Sexual Assault/Domestic Violence Treatment Program – Niagara at 905-378-4647 ext. 45301.