Be safe when online
When you use a computer, you leave behind a history of your online activities. Here's how to be safe if your abuser has access to the same computer:
- Use a computer at a public library, domestic abuse shelter or a trusted friend's house.
- If you do not know if you are on a safe computer, clear the browser history when you leave this website.
- Use private or incognito browsing.
Compassionate care at Penn State Health after sexual assault
Taking the first step
We help all people seeking care after experiencing sexual violence, regardless of race, religion, ethnicity, gender, lifestyle, current situation and circumstances of the assault. You will be treated with respect and, most importantly, you will be believed.
There are important reasons to visit a hospital after a sexual assault. The first is to make sure your body is healthy and that you get the quality care you need to heal.
What everyone should know
- Sexual assault includes any unwanted sexual activity: attempted rape, fondling, unwanted sexual contact or touching, forcing someone to perform sexual acts and rape.
- Survivors have the right to agree or say no to any part of the sexual assault exam. Nothing is done without the survivor’s consent, and they can change their mind at any point about any part of the process.
- Survivors may choose to have evidence collected and tested anonymously without their identification attached to it. You do not have to talk to or report to the police to get an exam.
- Patients 14 years and older do not need parent/guardian permission to have an exam.
- It’s important to have an exam as soon as possible after an assault. Evidence is usually collected within 120 hours, but DNA evidence may still be found up to seven days later. This is called forensic evidence.
- Note: The recommended timeframes for collecting forensic evidence immediately after a sexual assault depend on the circumstances and areas of the body involved. It is always best to get medical care after an assault, even if it is outside of the recommended evidence collection timeframe so that experts can explain the medical and forensic options.
- Avoid showering, bathing, changing your clothes, eating, drinking, smoking or going to the bathroom, if possible, before being examined.
- Please don’t wash the clothes you were wearing during the assault. If you changed, place the clothes you were wearing in a paper bag and bring them to the hospital.
- You may have injuries that you can’t see for example, if you were strangled, or “choked,” or if any object was placed around your neck. Being strangled is life-threatening, and you may have internal injuries. A medical exam can uncover physical harm.
- You can still go to an emergency department even if the evidence collection deadline has passed. A health care provider will examine you to ensure your body is healthy. As part of the exam, you can also receive sexually transmitted infection (STI) and pregnancy testing, if needed.
Sexual assault regulations in Pennsylvania
- Penn State Health submits all sexual assault exam claims to the Victims Compensation Assistance Program. They will pay up to $1,000 based on their standards for services approved by them if the exam includes a sexual assault forensic kit. Patients may receive a bill for services not covered.
- Health care providers must report an assault if it included use of deadly weapon, serious bodily injury or death, patients under 18 years of age or a child present at the location of the assault, elderly adults ages 60 and older, or adults with any disabilities.
- Even if you decide not to talk to the police when evidence is collected, you can think about it and change your mind later. The evidence will be preserved and stored. There are three different anonymous reporting options that your nurse will explain. You can pick the best option for you. You’ll receive instructions for reporting the assault if you change your mind.
What happens in the emergency department?
- A medical provider will examine you to make sure you are medically safe and that there are no immediate life-threatening medical issues. This may include X-rays, scans, bloodwork or other diagnostic testing.
- After you are medically cleared, a sexual assault nurse examiner (SANE) will be called in to help you and offer you care.
Care from Penn State Health nurses with special training
Penn State Health nurses with special training provide compassionate care after sexual assault. Sexual assault nurse examiners (SANEs) are specially trained to provide medical care, evidence collection and follow-up support, as well as explain all of your medical and legal options. These nurses are on call 24/7 at each Penn State Health emergency department.
SANEs provide:
- Their full attention to the care and comfort of people who have been sexually assaulted.
- Compassionate care and crisis intervention.
- An assessment that includes a trauma-focused mental health evaluation and immediate mental health intervention, if needed.
- Care using state-of-the-art equipment to assess and document injuries.
- Support for concerns about sexually transmitted infections (STIs) and pregnancy, including treatment to prevent STIs.
- Toiletries, showering and clothing, if needed, after the exam.
- A follow-up care plan for further medical and/or mental health needs and to discuss lab test results. With your permission, your nurse can share exam and lab results with your primary care provider and other referring and/or follow-up health care providers.
- Help with finding safe shelter, if needed.
- Expert witness testimony if the case goes to court. SANEs are trained to collect medical forensic evidence that may be useful in court.
Learn more about what sexual assault nurse examiners do at Penn State Health: