News Release
For Immediate Release: March 9, 2009
Contact Person: Diane Lee, Heather Cooper, 301-334-7770
Reporting Sexual Assault
No Longer Requires Police Notification
Heather Cooper, RN FNE-A
Rape, just the word creates fear in the minds of many. In the time immediately following the assault the victim is left trying to make sense of what happened and trying to forget the horrible event. During this critical time victims fail to recognize the importance of obtaining medical care and documenting the assault. Many victims choose not to seek help because the commonly held belief is that if they receive medical care they must talk to law enforcement. This is no longer true.
A recent change in rape reporting laws now allow victims of sexual assault and rape to seek medical care from the hospital without needing to submit a police statement. The new reporting process is called Jane Doe reporting. The purposes of these laws were to encourage victims to report violence, allow a sexual assault exam to be completed, and evidence to be stored for up to 180 days until the individual has the opportunity to consider the options. By getting a sexual assault exam, the evidence which may be present from an assault can be preserved while the individual processes and copes with what has just occurred without losing vital evidence which could be used to convict a criminal.
Once a victim has had time to heal and is prepared to make informed decisions about reporting the crime, a police report can then be initiated. Jane Doe reporting provides a victim the same opportunities as someone who reports the rape when it occurs. By permitting a sexual assault exam the victim cannot by law be billed for the services received from the hospital visit including any labs, x-rays, physician costs, etc. The costs of the visit are covered by the state under a special reimbursement unit covering the costs of sexual assault exams. The only requirement is that the victim allows a sexual assault nurse examiner to complete the necessary documentation in a police evidence collection kit. Once the evidence for the kit is collected it gets stored in a secure location which gives the victim time to decide whether to proceed with a criminal investigation. If the victim chooses not to report, the evidence is destroyed.
This kind of violence can happen any time to any person. The services of the forensic nurses are available 24 hours a day 7 days a week at the emergency department at Garrett County Memorial Hospital . If an individual comes to the ED, one of three nurses specially trained to gather evidence and provide assistance to sexual assault victims will discuss all possible options available to the victim. If you have been a victim of rape or sexual assault, you only have 5 days after the incident to complete the evidence collection. Do not give a criminal the opportunity to steal your self-confidence and sense of security. Be a survivor and a champion for others in your situation; the first step is requesting a sexual assault exam.