The Crisis Center of West Texas recently held its “Dancing with West Texas Stars” fundraiser. I was so excited to see a fantastic turn out for this event, because the Crisis Center is one of those organizations in this community that even in the worst of times continues to support members of this community. Even in the full shut down times of the pandemic, they made changes to keep folks safe from COVID, and continued with their mission. When people reach out to the Crisis Center, it literally saves lives, avoids injuries, and stops a cycle of violence that can literally go on for generations. Every cent donated to them goes to making a positive impact in the lives of people who are quite literally in crisis and sets them on a path to a much brighter future.
I started out talking about the Crisis Center because I had a situation recently where someone who was sexually assaulted reached out to me wanting to know where to go for help. There are so many things to think about in terms of help in that situation. There is the physical side with the possibility of injury, pregnancy, and/or sexually transmitted diseases. There is the legal side with law enforcement, evidence collection, and the courts. There can be financial considerations if people need to leave their homes or jobs to be safe. Then there is the emotional side with the mental trauma an attack like this causes. That makes it very hard for just one person, or even one organization to help with everything. I also want to emphasize that sexual assault is not isolated to one gender, one age group, one race, one socioeconomic level or any other one demographic. It can quite literally happen to anyone, and so help must be universal in that way too. This is where the Crisis Center really shines. They are a great conduit for putting together all the pieces in this very complex puzzle, so the person who needs them gets help in every way needed. The physical, the legal, the financial, and the emotional. They don’t have restrictions on who they help based on demographics, they help everyone who needs it.
The other place I refer people to if they ask me about sexual assault and where to go is an emergency room with a SANE program. Every emergency room can help when someone is sexually assaulted. They can do an exam treat injuries, collect evidence, involve law enforcement, and contact crisis workers like the wonderful people who work at the Crisis Center. But emergency rooms that have SANE programs take that a step farther. SANE stands for Sexual Assault Nurse Examiner. Those nurses have thousands of hours of specialized training in how to do examinations on sexual assault victims that collects evidence in the best way possible while preserving the dignity and providing emotional support in the unique way victims need. They have forensic training that makes them an expert witness if the victim chooses to prosecute their assailant and the case goes to court. They also have dedicated spaces and specialized equipment that help facilitate evidence collection and the specialized care the victims need. If you go to any emergency room, even if they don’t have a SANE program, they can help you get to one. All you need to do is ask.
Finally, and the most important place I can refer people to is 911. I say that because so often people in these situations are in immediate danger. In situations of immediate danger, victims of sexual assault need the protection of law enforcement and the immediate medical attention by EMS that only 911 can provide. If you take nothing else from this article about where to go in these horrible situations, please take away this. Your immediate safety is the first and biggest priority if you are sexually assaulted. Do everything possible to get away and call 911.
I genuinely hope no one reading this ever needs this information. Unfortunately, I also know it is likely someone will. Know that if you ever need such help, those of us who work with the victims of sexual assault want to be there for you too. We want to make sure you have all the physical, emotional, legal, and financial help you need to get you on the path to a brighter future. Please reach out.
