Medical Advocacy Related Services 

• Support in medical settings to people who have experienced domestic or sexual violence. This can include:

  • Being with you in the emergency department during a Sexual Assault Forensic Exam

  • Being with you during appointments for domestic and sexual violence medical care

  • Advocating for you throughout the medical system

• Information on topics related to domestic and sexual violence and health

  • human trafficking

  • traumatic brain injury

  • strangulation

  • reproductive coercion

• Options and empowerment counseling for people related to domestic or sexual violence and related medical topics

  • Options related to getting or not getting a sexual assault forensic exam

  • Options for seeking professional medical care outside of a forensic exam

  • Options for getting tested for STIs and pregnancy

  • Options for preventing, terminating, or coping with an unwanted pregnancy

• Trainings for medical professionals related to domestic and sexual violence and suvivors

• Systems advocacy- to change policies and procedure to help make sure that they are as helpful as possble to survivors of domestic and sexual violence

Getting a Sexual Assault Forensic Exam – Get google map directionrs to UPMC

• To get an exam done, you can just go to the emergency department at UPMC Lock Haven at 24 Cree Dr, Lock Haven, PA 17745

  • The emergency department will contact us to have an advocate come speak with you 

  • You can always call our hotline yourself if you would like support or would like to discuss your options. Our hotline number is 570-748-9509.

• UPMC Lock Haven has a Sexual Assault Nurse Examiner (SANE) on call 24/7/365

• As of February 1st, 2020, UPMC Lock Haven is partnered with the Penn State Sexual Assault Forensic Exam-Telehealth (SAFE-T) Center

  • You have the option of a Penn State SANE joining the UPMC Lock Haven SANE through a telehealth system

• The exam is free to you and you may do it anonymously/ without your name attached to it

• An exam may be done up to 72 hours (3 days) after the sexual assault

• If you are able to, try to avoid doing things that could potentially damage evidence

  • This includes: using the restroom, showering, bathing, cleaning up, changing clothes, combing or brushing your hair, brushing your teeth, eating and drinking.

  • If you do the above things, you can still get a sexual assault forensic exam done. Those things may damage evidence, but an exam can still be done to collect the evidence that is left and so you can get medical attention.

Sexual Assault Forensic Exams Resources:

PCAR Medical Page The Pennsylvania Coalition Against Rape is one of our funders and this portion of their website has medical information related to sexual assault forensic exams and other sexual assault and medical related information.

RAINN Rape Kit Page The Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network is the largest anti-sexual violence nonprofit organization in the U.S. and this page goes into a bit more detail about what a rape kit is, what a sexual assault forensic exam consists of, how to prepare for it, and what some of the benefits of it are.