News & Upcoming Events:

The Eastern Panhandle is almost SANE! SWC is working with City Hospital, Inc. and Jefferson Memorial Hospital to establish Sexual Assault Nurse Examiner (SANE) programs at both hospitals. Both hospitals expect to have their SANE programs up and running soon.

The SANE program seeks both to reduce the trauma experienced by sexual assault victims who go to the hospital for evidence collection, and to increase the likelihood of successful prosecution of sexual assault cases by improving the quality of evidence collection.

For more information on SANE programs, go to: http://www.ojp.usdoj.gov/ovc/publications/bulletins/sane_4_2001/welcome.html

For more information on the SANE programs at City and Jefferson Hospitals, contact  Reba Weller or Mindy Tramonti at 263-8522

Child Advocacy Centers SWC is coordinating with the Children’s Home Society, the Department of Health and Human Services, and several other area agencies to develop a Child Advocacy Center for the Eastern Panhandle.

The purpose of establishing a Child Advocacy Center (CAC) is to reduce the trauma experienced by a child during the investigation of a case of child sexual or physical assault, and to increase the likelihood of successful prosecution of offenders. A CAC brings together all the core disciplines involved - law enforcement, prosecution, Child Protective Services, medical professionals, and advocates – to discuss and make coordinated decisions about the investigation, prosecution and treatment of child abuse cases.

If you are interested in learning more about or participating in this effort, please contact Deb Barthlow at the Children’s Home Society at 264-0225. For more information on CACs, go to http://www.nncac.org/rcac/rcac-1.html.

SWC seeks funding for bi-lingual advocate - The Hispanic population is not immune from the problems of domestic violence and sexual assault. However, there are many barriers to receiving services faced by victims who speak little or no English. Recognizing the need for outreach to the Hispanic community, SWC has begun outreach efforts (link to Hispanic Outreach Committee) and has applied for funding to hire a bi-lingual advocate to work specifically with the Spanish speaking community.

SWC is also looking for people in the community who would be willing to serve as translators for victims with limited English proficiency. Volunteers would be required to undergo a background check and training in domestic violence and sexual assault crisis response. If you are interested in volunteering, please contact Teresa Shumate at 263-8522.