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Rape Victims Could Face More Trauma

Rape Victims Could Face More Trauma - Monday, January 7, 2008 at 5:00PM EST

Reported by: Laurie Monteforte
Monday, Jan 7, 2008 @05:00pm EST
EAST STROUDSBURG, MONROE COUNTY- When a rape victim has to get into a police car it can make a traumatic experience feel even worse.

"The rape victim wants to be involved with the police and the doctors as little as possible," explained Stroud Area Regional Police Captain William Parrish.

When the police car has to drive 45 minutes to get the victim help, it can be overwhelming. But that's what's happening to rape victims in Monroe County. Parrish said, "We're taking our sexual assault victims to Lehigh Valley Hospital."

Pocono Medical Center used to have a Sexual Assault Response Team - SART for short. It was a group of nurses, police, victim aides and someone from the District Attorney's office With the team, a victim received medical treatment and a forensic examination. She only had to tell her story once.

Now it's different. Victims can only get medical treatment at Pocono - not full forensic exams, which are vital to prosecuting rape cases.

Hospital officials said there are doctors to treat rape victims there just isn't a 24-hour on call Sexual Assault Response Team.

Hospital representative Elaine Wheeler said, "We would like to have full time 24 hour coverage certainly - and other hospitals in the area would too - and they struggle with the same thing we do."

Pocono Medical center needs to replace the nurse that organizes SART. Officials couldn't say why the last one left because it's a personnel issue. They said they are looking for a replacement. Wheeler explained, "It certainly is a priority right now. It's one of our number one priorities to get this back because we do want to have a full team like we did previously."

The hospital does not have a time table for putting the SART back together. Managers say it's hard to find people who want to go through the training and who are willing to testify about their work in court.
 


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