LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- Kentucky's attorney general and other state advocates want to make sure hospital staff are trained to better support victims of sexual assault.
A new training effort was launched Tuesday by Attorney General Andy Beshear, the Kentucky Association of Sexual Assault Programs (KASAP) and the Kentucky Hospital Association to help support victims of sexual assault. The training includes a new one-hour video for emergency room staff and hospital employees who respond to victims of sexual assault. It also includes an overview of survivors' rights, the role of rape crisis advocates, legal requirements for hospitals, and do's and don'ts for conducting an exam.
The SAFE Act of 2016 says Kentucky law requires police to receive training, conduct victim-centered investigations and set timelines for testing SAFE kits. It also requires hospitals offering emergency services to also a free sexual assault forensic exam to victims, as well as contact their local rape crisis center and police to collect the exam kit.
Beshear said its important to minimize retraumatization to victims. It is estimated that one in two women and one in 16 men in Kentucky will experience sexual violence.
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