The Safe Place
According to the Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network (RAINN), someone
in the United States is sexually assaulted every two minutes.
AHMC Anaheim Regional Medical Center provides the only 24/7 sexual assault
examination unit in Orange County (The Safe Place). Every other Emergency
Department and Medical Center in Orange County refers patients to our
Safe Place.
The SART/Sexual Assault Response Team at Safe Place was founded in 1999
as a ‘safe place’ for victims of sexual abuse to receive appropriate
medical care, emotional support, and individual comprehensive medical-legal
examinations by a team of specially trained medical professionals.
The Safe Place has a SANE Nurse or a
Sexual
Assault
Nurse
Examiner on call 24 hours a day/ 7 days a week. These nurses are contracted
through a partnership with Forensic Nurse Specialists, Inc., a private
entity specializing in the care of sexual assault since 1994.
If you are a victim of sexual assault:
Remember it wasn't your fault.
- Find a safe environment - anywhere away from the attacker. Ask a trusted
friend to stay with you for support.
- Preserve evidence of the attack - don't bathe or brush your teeth.
Write down all the details you can recall about the attack and the attacker.
Preserve your clothes worn at the time of the assault in a brown paper
bag and urine in a clean container if you think you may have been drugged.
Write the date and time collected on the container and then refrigerate.
- If you would like to have a sexual assault exam done to collect evidence,
contact your local police station directly, call a rape hotline, or go
to a nearby hospital emergency room to request a SART exam.
-
If you need someone to talk to immediately, call a 24/7 sexual assault hotline:
- National Sexual Assault Hotline: 800-656-HOPE (4673)
- Orange County Community Services Programs Hotline: 714.957.2737 and 949.831.9110
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