Rape Trauma Center Expanded to 5 Cities
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A Long Beach-based trauma center for sexual assault victims is being expanded to five cities in southeast Los Angeles County, sheriff’s officials announced Monday.
As a result of a $20,000 county grant to the Lakewood sheriff’s station, rape victims in Artesia, Bellflower, Cerritos, Lakewood and Paramount will now have 24-hour access to forensic exams and follow-up counseling by specially trained nurses at Long Beach Community Hospital.
The agreement with Forensic Nurse Specialists provides victims with a facility apart from standard emergency rooms for the gathering and documentation of evidence shortly after an assault.
“Historically, these patients are not the priority [in hospital emergency rooms] because they do not have a life-threatening illness,” program Director Malinda Waddell said. She added that her operation has achieved a 96% rape conviction rate during three years of working with police in Long Beach, Hawaiian Gardens and Signal Hill.
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