CORONAVIRUS (COVID-19) RESOURCE CENTER Read More
Add To Favorites

Reported rape leads to concerns over available testing for survivors

The Daily Independent - 6/22/2020

Jun. 20--A rape near Ridgecrest is prompting questions related to how far victims of sexual assaults must travel for help.

The Ridgecrest Police Department responded to a rape at 3:12 p.m. on June 12 after a person reported the crime to Ridgecrest Regional Hospital staff.

No further information regarding the sexual assault has been given by police. No suspects have been named and it is unclear how far into the investigation detectives are.

RRH released a statement regarding its lack of Sexual Assault Nurse Examiner (SANE) testing services at the hospital after it was brought to light on social media that there is only one facility that is able to provide services throughout all of Kern County.

That location is two hours away from Ridgecrest.

The Adventist Health Bakersfield facility is the only hospital in the area that has the capabilities to handle these situations.

"We know that our remote location and our rare incidence of rape and sexual assault crimes here are huge barriers to maintaining a trained, certified and competent, 24/7 response capability," hospital CEO Jim Suver stated in a press release.

"The community's well-being and safety is at the heart of everything we do," he added. "We thoroughly empathize that the two-hour drive to Bakersfield is yet another hurdle the victim must go through, during an unimaginably difficult time."

RRH can only provide a medical screening that ensures the victim is medically stable. They also call law enforcement, who can then call for a Sexual Assault Response Team (SART) advocate.

From there, the individual is then transported, whether on their own or accompanied by law enforcement or a SART member, to the Adventist Health Bakersfield facility.

For those who have been sexually assaulted or abused, contact the High Desert Women's Center, available for 24/7 support, at (760) 371-1969. The 24-hour sexual assault/abuse hotline can be reached at (760) 375-0745.

This is part of an ongoing look at sexual assault in Kern County.

___

(c)2020 The Daily Independent, Ridgecrest, Calif.

Visit The Daily Independent, Ridgecrest, Calif. at www.ridgecrestca.com

Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.