State Grant Aims To Strengthen Service Network For Survivors Of Sexual Violence

Updated on Thursday, June 27, 2024 at 10:30 a.m.

A new $150,000 grant for the West Virginia Foundation for Rape Information and Services (WVFRIS) will allow the agency to hire a new statewide coordinator for sexual assault nurse examiners.

These nurse examiners are registered nurses who receive specific training on caring for survivors of sexual assault. They can also conduct forensic examinations and provide expert testimony in court.

WVFRIS received the grant from the Justice and Community Services Section of the West Virginia Division of Administrative Services. The grant was announced earlier this month.

Gov. Jim Justice said during a virtual press briefing Wednesday that hiring someone to fill this role provides an important intervention against sexual violence in the Mountain State.

“This will only help us get better and everything, and stop these — or, do the best we can to stop these terrible, terrible situations,” he said.

The project coordinator will provide technical assistance to nurse examiners, review curricula from the Sexual Assault Forensic Examination Commission and create training resources for forensic examiners, according to a Wednesday press release from Justice’s office.

This is the second year of funding for the position, according to Nancy Hoffman, state coordinator with the West Virginia Foundation for Rape Information and Services.

WVFRIS has developed professional development resources for sexual assault nurse examiners for 20 years, Hoffman wrote in an email to West Virginia Public Broadcasting. The added state funds will allow a new statewide coordinator for sexual assault nurse examiners “who can expand those efforts and provide expertise to the state’s Sexual Assault Forensic Examination Commission.”

“Our goal is to increase access to trained forensic examiners for victims of sexual assault in the state,” Hoffman wrote. “While two hospitals — [J.W. Ruby Memorial Hospital] and Berkeley Medical Center — do have trainers on their staff, most will be relying on this project for training access.”

Hoffman added that trained professionals like sexual assault nurse examiners tend to be better at collecting sexual violence evidence, which helps “hold offenders accountable and reduce the number of serial offenders” in the state.

WVFRIS currently operates nine rape crisis centers across West Virginia, as well as three “emerging centers” that provide services to survivors of sexual assault.

**Editor’s note: This story was updated to include a comment from Nancy Hoffman, state coordinator with the West Virginia Foundation for Rape Information and Services.