How long do rape victims stay in the hospital

Answer: Nurses are trained to gently look for points of tenderness that may have been caused during an attack. Most of the evidence collection involves only the use of small cotton swabs to collect potential DNA.

If you are in pain, nurses can opt not to use a speculum and can treat your pain. Question: Are head and pubic hairs plucked during exams? Answer: Many states, including Ohio, no longer pluck hair. That was done in the past because follicles were used for DNA profile purposes. Now hair is cut from the head and pubic area if available to be sent with the evidence collection kit. Question: Will nurses take my blood?

Answer: Nurses used to take blood from all patients. Now they will decide, based on your report of the attack, whether they need to draw blood or collect urine for lab tests. For instance, if you passed out or show signs that you could have been drugged, urine may be collected for lab tests that can determine what, if any, date rape or other drugs might be in your system.

Those tests can detect whether you were a victim of a Drug Facilitated Sexual Assault. Question: What other kind of evidence do nurses collect? Answer: Nurses could collect fingernail scrapings if you fought with or scratched your attacker. They also will collect a swab from the inside of your cheek so a lab can differentiate your DNA from that of your attacker. They also may examine your body with a special fluorescent lamp to detect evidence that cannot be seen with the naked eye and may swab areas that appear to contain saliva or other bodily fluids.

Question: Will the hospital offer me medications to prevent pregnancy and sexually transmitted infections? Answer: You must be offered emergency contraception or be referred to a facility that offers it. You also will be offered medications to prevent a number of sexually transmitted infections. Ultimately, you make the choice of whether to take those medications. Question: How much does the exam cost? Is it covered by insurance? Answer: You cannot be billed for the medical exam, sexual assault evidence collection or preventative medications, as long as the crime is reported to law enforcement, even anonymously.

You or your insurance company could be billed for treatment of other injuries. Some of those costs can be reimbursed by a state victims' compensation fund.

But those centres are often just dedicated exam rooms -- rather than a full suite with multiple rooms designed specifically to comfort sexual assault victims. The program has seen a steady increase in patients since its inception -- and now, they're seeing 40 victims on average per month.

That's up from the average of 25 they were seeing up until a few months ago. Staff say they don't know what's behind the increase. That evidence can then sit for days, weeks, months or even years while a victim decides if they want to pursue charges.

Hines said most women who come to the program — about in total last year — do want to involve police. So the nurses call and request plainclothes officers. The specially trained nurses in the program are all women, and all work exclusively with sexual assault victims.

After that, though, you can still get help at Klinic on Portage Avenue or a number of other counselling centres throughout the province. An ER can complete a forensic medical exam within seven days of the assault. If you decide to seek care at an ER, it could be beneficial to go as soon as possible and try not to eat, drink, brush your teeth, bathe, or wash the clothing you were wearing to maximize the chances that they can recover evidence on your body or clothing.

Because the clothing could be helpful as evidence, you may also want to bring a spare set with you, or the hospital can provide you with a new set. When you get to the ER, inform reception that you are there for treatment after a sexual assault. Staff will give you forms to get your info and permission for medical professionals to examine you, treat injuries, and provide medication.

Hospital staff will call them to the ER to support you through the process and explain the different steps. A medical professional will take you to a private room to ask you questions that help them understand the best way to assist you.

With your permission, they may examine you, test you for pregnancy, and prescribe medications that can prevent infections like gonorrhea, trichomoniasis, chlamydia, and HIV. Staff will explain each step, and you have the option to decline any portion of the exam that you do not want.

It could be helpful later on if you decide to involve law enforcement because any material and information collected during this exam will be stored and could support a future criminal case. The information you tell medical staff helps them decide where to collect samples.

For example, they may use cotton swabs to swipe the genitals, rectum, and mouth in an effort to collect any DNA from your perpetrator that may be on your body. Staff may also perform combings of head and pubic hair, collect material from underneath your fingernails, and look for any other spots to swab, such as bite marks for saliva. With your consent, they might also photograph your injuries. They may ask you to submit your clothes to the crime lab, too.

These collections, especially photographs of injuries and DNA swabs, may contain valuable evidence that would otherwise degrade over time. Obtaining them can improve the strength of a criminal case. You can even make that decision later on. Illinois hospitals are required to notify the local police when they treat someone for sexual assault. An officer will typically arrive at the ER while the survivor is still there and ask if they want to give information for a report.

If and when you report to the police is up to you. If you decide to move forward with involving law enforcement, it may be helpful to know that the sooner a report is made, the sooner the police can start investigating and gathering other evidence, which may improve the strength of a criminal case.

At the ER, you have three main options regarding the police and a decision to make about testing your kit:. If you undergo a forensic medical exam and decide to add your name to the police report, you can release the kit to the state crime lab for testing.

You can give permission at the hospital, or you can decide to wait. It will be held for at least ten years or, if you were a minor at the time, until your 28th birthday whichever is longer. This gives you time to think about what you want to do. You can contact law enforcement during the storage period if you decide you want the kit submitted for testing.