What will happen at the hospital?
- When you get to the hospital, tell the triage nurse that you have been sexually assaulted and request a SANE (Sexual Assault Nurse Examiner) nurse. SANE nurses are specially trained to collect evidence and treat victims of sexual assault.
- The SANE nurse will collect evidence (often referred to as collecting a “rape kit”) that the attacker may have left behind, i.e. fibers, hairs, saliva, semen or clothing, regardless of your decision to report/press charges. This evidence will be held for 30 days. If you decide that you want to press charges you will sign over the collected evidence to the police. If you are not pressing charges the evidence will be destroyed after 30 days. It is your right to change your mind and decide to press charges at a later date.
- It is your right to request, and have present, a hospital advocate while you are at the hospital and during evidence collection.
- It is your right to request or refuse to report the sexual assault to the police at the hospital. The hospital staff may contact the local police, however you have the right to refuse to speak with the police.
