Forensic nursing unit for sexual assault, domestic violence opens at Lions Gate Hospital

Lions Gate Hospital is seen in an undated Google Maps image.

A new forensic nursing unit at Lions Gate Hospital is breaking down barriers to care for survivors of sexual assault, domestic violence and human trafficking on Metro Vancouver’s North Shore.

Until recently, people who needed forensic care on the North Shore would need to go to Vancouver General Hospital. That changed when community members brought up the need for local services, said Jacquie Miller, who runs the new unit as the Forensic Nursing Services Co-ordinator at the hospital.

“It became very apparent when working with survivors that transportation and having people leave their own community after having experienced a traumatic incident was a huge barrier to them receiving this care that they desperately needed,” she told CTV News.

The services are available to anyone age 13 or older, regardless of gender.

The first option offered to patients is medical care, which could include the morning after pill, antibiotics for potential STI exposure, X-rays or blood work.

If the patient wishes, specialized nurses will document their account of the incident and all of their injuries. Collected forensic evidence will be stored in a locked freezer at the hospital for up to a year, or longer at request. In order to collect forensic samples, the service has to be accessed in the seven days following the attack.

Staff in the unit do not report anything to police, and anything a survivor says is confidential.

But if a survivor wants to go forward with a police report, forensic nurses will help with that too, Miller said. They also provide referrals to services such as counselling outside the hospital.

“For those patients who aren't sure if they want to report to police or not, it gives them time, so time to learn more about what happened to them, time to process what happened to them, and it gives them the opportunity to later present to police, should they decide to, with evidence that's intact,” she explained.

Patients don’t need a referral to visit the unit, which can be accessed by going to the ER. The unit comprises of 12 female forensic nurse examiners who have completed the forensic program at BCIT.

Miller says so far, feedback on the program has been overwhelmingly positive.

“All of our patients have stated that they feel secure and safe with us and then learned a little bit more about what they can do to take care of their bodies and their minds after these experiences,” she said. “We're a very safe place to come to when anybody needs any help of any kind.”

Miller said she started working on the program in January, and it started seeing patients after a soft launch in April, but more people have begun seeking care in the last few weeks as the word gets out.

“People weren't aware that the services existed, but certainly now, we’re hopeful that all the survivors will become aware that these services are available to them locally and that they can receive care in their own community,” she said.

Currently, the unit is open Monday to Thursday from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m., but by the end of the fall the plan is for it to be open 24/7. The Lions Gate Hospital Foundation has also funded a forensic camera that will go into use in the fall.

Elsewhere in Metro Vancouver, forensic nursing services are available in the emergency departments at UBC and Surrey Memorial hospitals.

If you or someone you know is struggling with sexual assault or trauma, the following resources are available to support people in crisis:

If you are in immediate danger or fear for your safety, you should call 911.

A full list of sexual assault centres in Canada that offer information, advocacy and counselling can be found on the website for the Canadian Association of Sexual Assault Centres.

Helplines, legal services and locations that offer sexual assault kits in Alberta, B.C., Saskatchewan, Manitoba, Quebec, Ontario and Nova Scotia can be found here.