What We Changed
The problem we faced
In 2001, a group of local nurses, police officers and sexual assault survivors came together to change our county’s response to sexual assault.
At that time, reporting a rape could mean:
- waiting 4 - 6 hours in a busy, public emergency room
- treatment by staff not trained in responding to sexual trauma
- incomplete evidence collection
- inconsistent after-care
- a big hospital bill
- few perpetrators punished
As a result, only 1 in 10 sexual assault survivors in Oregon have reported the crime against them. Few have received the healing and justice they need. And most assailants have gone free.
What we changed
In 2005, we concentrated area services into a single, coordinated program that responds to all area hospitals: the SART Response Team program.
Now specially-trained Sexual Assault Nurse Examiners (SANEs), victim advocates from Community Works’ SAVS and local detectives approach each case as a team.
- all SART services are free and available around the clock
- survivors are cared for quickly in private hospital rooms
- free medical screening, forensic evidence collection and immediate emotional support are available to all survivors who wish them
- police question survivors effectively and with understanding
- anonymous evidence collection is available to allow survivors time to decide whether or not to press charges
- District attorney staff join the team if the case goes forward to trial
- a follow-up advocate helps coordinate survivors’ follow-up care, case progress and healing
SART gets results
- 100% of survivors surveyed last year expressed confidence in our services and satisfaction with their care.
- SART has more than doubled the rate at which survivors report their assaults to police, up from 40% of hospital-treated victims before our program began.
- Evidence collection is now more frequent and more reliable.
- Since sexual assailants average 8 – 12 victims each, every increase in investigation and prosecution benefits us all.
- Because our services are free, more survivors are seeking medical care, almost 30% more in our first two years of operation.