If you or anyone you know has experienced sexual violence, the folks at Sault Area Hospital’s Sexual Assault Care Centre would like you to know there’s help available.
May is Sexual Violence Prevention Month, and the health-care professionals with SACC provide an array of supports for people who have experienced sexual violence – whether recent or in an earlier part of their lives.
From sexual assault, harassment or abuse, to sex trafficking or grooming, SACC can help with anything “under the umbrella of sexual misconduct” at either Sault Area Hospital or the SACC building on Queen Street East.
Although it’s been in operation since 1991, workers said it’s always important to let the community know about the help it can provide.
“Not everyone in the community knows about us, so it is good for us to get the word out about our program,” said Courtney Parr, a social worker with SACC.
“We get a lot of people coming here and they're saying, ‘I wish I knew about this sooner.’”
Many mistakenly believe they need a doctor’s referral to access SACC’s programs, but Parr said the program works through self-referral.
“All they have to do is give us a call,” she said. “We do a brief intake, and they will be seen. We see people of all genders, all sexual orientation, all ages. We see children as well.”
While the care centre provides a range of ongoing therapy options for acute and historical sexual violence cases, community members can also access immediate help at the hospital.
Amanda Palermo, the sexual assault nurse examiner at the hospital, said there are a wide variety of options patients can pursue – which are left entirely up to the patient’s discretion.
Patients who need support for sexual violence can ask to see the nurse on call for SACC at the emergency department, Palermo said.
“I could do documentation of the assault. I could do a sexual assault evidence kit,” Palermo said. “We can arrange for medical clearance if there was any strangulation or injuries involved. We also do STI testing.”
At every turn, the patient’s consent is made top priority, Palermo said, noting sexual assault evidence kits are stored for up to a year.
“We require the patient's consent for any aspect of that. We don't report to police unless the patient asks us to do so, or if we get a subpoena, of course,” she said.
“The patient doesn't need to decide right then and there that they want to release their evidence to the police.”
For those who seek ongoing therapy for their trauma, Parr said progress is not always linear – but it can lead to positive changes in patient’s lives, whether big or small.
“The thing about the type of trauma we work with is it really does affect, for a lot of people, many different areas of their life,” she said. “It makes it hard to go to work, get into new relationships, trust – all aspects of life.
“Sometimes we see these great big breakthroughs, and people feel they have this power and control back in their life,” she said.
“Other times, it's just these little, minuscule changes in life that allow them to have a little bit of power and control and safety back in their life.”
Those who work with the SACC – from social workers, to receptionists who make sure patients aren’t “talking to a machine, you're talking to human beings” – there’s a lot of pride in the help they provide for community members.
“Working on this team has just been the biggest honour, I think, in my career, to just see the strength and resiliency and the care provided,” said Shannen Scott, patient care manager.
Community members who would like to seek counselling services can call 705-759-5143 between 8:30 a.m. and 4:30 p.m., Monday to Friday.
Those who wish to see a sexual assault nurse examiner can also call 705-759-5143, or Sault Area Hospital at 705-759-3434 ext. 5575.
SACC services are funded by OHIP.