Center for Hope would cater to adult victims closer to home

John Flora, The Lebanon Reporter, Ind.
·3 min read

Feb. 2—The Boone County Commissioners are considering a request for $10,000 to create facilities and training for a program to help adult victims of sexual and physical assault.

Cari Ann Clanton, coordinator for the Witham Health Services Foundation, and Kassie Frazier, director of Sylvia's Place Child Advocacy Center, outlined the proposed program and need for funding at a recent commissioners' meeting.

The Center for Hope program is planned to be at the Witham Hospital facilities in Whitestown.

Clanton said the plans are to remodel an area of the hospital emergency room to create an examination room and a consultation suite. Project cost, including equipment, construction, training and staffing, is estimated at $170,000.

The Center of Hope's mission will include providing:

—Medical care;

—Forensic nursing exam;

—Prophylactic medications for sexually transmitted diseases and pregnancy (as appropriate);

—Injury identification and documentation;

—Assistance with emergency shelter placement;

—Forensic specimen collection (as appropriate);

—Crisis intervention services;

—Follow-up medical care post initial exam/visit;

—Safety planning; and

—Referrals for community-based resources such as counseling and support groups.

Frazier asked commissioners to request a one-time contribution of seed funding for the establishment of the Center of Hope in Boone County.

"A Center of Hope is a dedicated area, team, and process used to care for victims of sexual assault or interpersonal violence," she said. "They provide care for adult or adolescent sexual assault victims ages 15 and older. Sexual assault victims receive a forensic nursing exam by a Sexual Assault Nurse Examiner, or SANE, using a trauma informed care approach, in a private, quiet and compassionate environment. The SANE works one-on-one with a sexual assault victim and his or her support person. Everyone involved in the program has been specially trained and is sensitive to the unique needs of a sexual assault victim."

"Sylvia's (Child Advocacy Center) was developed over 10 years ago using this same method," she said. "We want to use our program as a blueprint for the Center of Hope funding. We will be allocating $3,000 from Sylvia's funding to pay the training fees for three Witham nurses to attend the Sexual Assault Nurse Examiner (SANE) course through the University of Southern Indiana."

Boone County Prosecutor Kent Eastwood, whose office works closely with Sylvia's Place, also spoke in behalf of the request, saying a Center of Hope in Boone County would eliminate the need for victims to go to Indianapolis hospitals.

"It saves us time and money," he said. "And it's just an overall easier process."

Eastwood said that victims are less likely to seek specialized care and a forensic examination if they have to leave the county to do so. Providing specialized care closer to home may increase the likelihood of prosecution, he added.

Clanton said organizers hope to begin renovations at the Whitestown location by the end of this year. She and Frazier also presented information on the project at the January Boone County Council meeting.