WEDNESDAY FEBRUARY 3, 2016
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EVIDENCE OF VIOLENCE
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Forensic nurses treat and empower assault victims
Tyler OLSEN Abbotsford News
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t might be that her memory can’t explain her aching body and confusion. Perhaps her black eye wasn’t caused by her “clumsiness.” Or maybe, she’s a victim of violence – physical and/or sexual. She may come alone, with family, or with a police officer, but whatever the circumstances, she has come to Abbotsford Regional Hospital (ARH) shaken and in need of help. It’s here at the nexus of health care and criminal justice that Fraser Health’s forensic nurses like Susan Short go into action dozens of times each year. Part nurse, part forensic investigator, it is Short’s job both to treat victims of sexual assault or intentional violence – the vast majority of whom are women – and, if they consent, collect evidence that could be vital to a police case. The program began in Surrey in 1992 and expanded to Abbotsford in 1999. Since then, patient volumes in Abbotsford have grown considerably, from just 10 in the program’s first year at ARH, to 68 in 2013, and up to 106 last year. Across the province, forensic nursing services vary from stand-alone services like Fraser Health’s, to sexual assault response teams that include examiners. Although the number of patients seen has risen steadily, Short says a lack of awareness still prevents many women from getting the help they need. And despite their training, specialized forensic nurses continue to run into some skepticism in the justice system. “Most people don’t actually know we exist,” says Short from the small office in ARH’s emergency department from where she co-ordinates the program. Many victims also don’t know they can receive treatment at the hospital – and even have evidence gathered from their body – without filing an immediate police report. Anjie Gibson, a nurse with Fraser Health’s Embrace clinic, which provides follow-up care to assault victims, said people “think by coming to the hospital, Continued on A3
D EYES CHECKED D TEETH CHECKED
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85¢ Susan Short (left), co-ordinator of Fraser Health forensic nursing program, and Embrace clinic nurse practitioner Anjie Gibson say the program offers vital services for victims of crime, although TYLER OLSEN Abbotsford News awareness is often lacking.
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