Rape Center Opens

By Jim Stebinger

Friday, May 28 --The region's only advanced treatment center for sexual assault victims held its official opening this week, but a Japanese tourist who was raped last weekend may have been one of the patients treated before the opening ceremonies.

Dedicated Wednesday, the Verna Harrah clinic at the Santa Monica-UCLA Medical Center provides highly confidential treatment for rape victims and uses state of the art technology to preserve evidence that will help convict their attackers. Thanks to the donation from Harrah, who is president of Middle Fork Productions, all sexual assault patients will be seen at no charge.

"This is a revolutionary change in the way rape victims receive treatment," said Gail Abarbanel, director of the Rape Treatment Center. "Hospital emergency rooms are no longer the right setting to meet their needs."

The doors were already open to those who have been assaulted, according to Abarbanel, who said the clinic was in operation prior to the dedication.

One of those patients may have been the 20-year-old Japanese tourist who was raped last weekend. Although Abarbanel confirmed that some patients have been treated, she would not confirm if the tourist was among them. The district attorney's office, however, said the victim was taken to a rape treatment center, and Santa Monica's is the only one in the region.

The new center is unique in several ways and could become a model for treating rape victims, according to Abarbanel.

In the U.S. most sexual assault patients are treated in hospital emergency rooms. Hospitals are required to treat life-threatening injuries, wounds and illnesses first, so victims may wait as long as 12 hours to be seen. This wait reinforces the mental trauma suffered by the victim, and it allows time for evidence to degrade.

Because the Harrah Clinic operates out of a few very private rooms in the hospital and sees only sexual assault cases, there is no waiting time. The Clinic is staffed around-the-clock with medical and psychological health care professionals drawn from the approximately 30 staff members of the Rape Treatment Center.

Under the direction of Amie Tishler, who is the clinic's director, the team can evaluate both the medical and evidentiary status of the victim. Santa Monica Police Chief James T. Butts spoke at the dedication, as did Chief Bernard Parks of Los Angeles. Their departments, as well as the sheriff's and the Culver City police, are working closely with the center.

"It is clear to me," said Santa Monica Police Chief James T. Butts Jr., "that the staff, equipment and procedures will assist law enforcement in providing justice to victims by securing vital trace evidence that might have been uncollectable in the past,"

Because it is a center dedicated solely to assault victims, all the necessary equipment and personnel are ready and waiting. This includes an array of modern forensic equipment such as powerful microscopes and cameras. The equipment will enable investigators to preserve and document evidence including micro-trauma, bodily fluids, semen, skin and hair.

Abarbanel said she hopes the new center will help to bring forward assault victims for treatment. Sexual assault is still under reported, with an estimated 1 in 8 women reporting rapes, according to recent statistics.

Younger women and those attacked by an acquaintance are the least likely to seek help. There are several advantages to immediate treatment because victims face the risk of sexually contracted diseases or other infectious ailments. Quick arrival at the clinic can help prevent these diseases or minimize their impact.