By Natalie Beaty
The
Philadelphia
Sexual Assault Response Center is a crisis center for people who have been
sexually assaulted. I worked there several days during my Women’s Health
Ambulatory Medicine clerkship. While there, I worked with Ralph Riviello, M.D.
and Mike Boyle, a retired SVU lieutenant, as well as several Sexual Assault
Nurse Examiners (SANE), who oriented me to the center. They also trained me on
the process of reporting a sexual assault crime, performing a forensic exam,
and legal aspects of sexual assault cases.
The first thing that struck me is the set-up of the PSARC
facility – it is directly attached to the Special Victims Unit of the
Philadelphia Police Department, so it is easy for victims to arrive to the
station by 911, give a statement, and then be evaluated by a SANE. This model
of sexual assault center location aims to minimize wait times and maximize
privacy and comfort for victims. It also eliminates the need for victims
without medical injuries that need immediate attention to go to an Emergency
Room with long waits to be evaluated. It was implemented through the work of
Dr. Riviello and many others, and it is clear to me that the new center
provides a calm, clean, safe place for victims to be examined and get
information. This is a model which is in place in some cities nationwide, and
which hopefully provides a good national model for sexual assault forensic
analysis.
The volume of the center was a strong reminder for me about
how prevent sexual violence is in our society, and of how important it is for
young doctors to be aware of how to help these patients. Since opening in May 2011,
the PSARC has handled over 1,000 cases. The center recently moved to 300 E.
Hunting Park in August, 2013, and have handled over 40 cases just since that
time. One excellent resource I learned more about is
Women Organized Against Rape (WOAR). When a
victim comes in PSARC, WOAR will be contacted and will come in to speak with the
victim after the forensic exam. They provide immediate counseling as well as
accompaniment of victims to court, an invaluable service which helps victims
navigate the court process. We, as medical trainees, can screen patients for
violence, and if they are positive, we should be prepared to refer them to WOAR
as a resource.
Working in the PSARC is a unique experience because it
allows the student to learn about and interact with police, nurses, and social
outreach workers as part of a comprehensive team. You sit in on interviews with
victims when they come into the center, participate in the examination, and,
importantly, provide reassurance and support to the person in their time of
need. The experts at the center give valuable insight into the history of
sexual assault response teams, as well as their insight into these crimes that
has been developed over decades of experience. Feel free to contact me with any
questions you may have.
Data from the 2014 Alzheimer's report shows that in several ways, women are at the center of the disease. In fact women make up almost two thirds of those diagnosed with Alzheimer's. Women are also the primary caregivers of this disease, with more than 60% being women. All of these caregivers contribute to billions of dollars of unpaid work hours due to care. This also takes away from time, advancement and benefits at the current job of many caregivers. The report goes on tho show that in general, Alzheimer's overall puts a greater strain the female population than males. Over the age of 60, women are twice as likely as men to develop the disease. So while Alzheimer's should be a concern to everyone, elderly women and their family and friends should especially know the signs, so Alzheimer's can be detected early if it does develop.
