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Community Resources

Community Resources

In addition to the resources available to you on campus, there are a number of helpful community resources available to you. Below you will find information on several key community resources. However, this is not an exhaustive list. If you are unsure of which resource to connect with or the resources below do not seem to fit your needs, we encourage you to make an appointment with the Title IX Office so we can help you identify which community resources may be best suited to assist you based upon your particular needs and circumstances.

Immediate Law Enforcement Assistance

If you are in need of immediate assistance, please call GW Emergency Services at 202-994-6111 or local police at 911.

Sexual Assault & Intimate Violence (SAIV) Helpline

If you are not in immediate danger, but want to talk to someone right away, call 202-994-7222 24/7 to connect with the Sexual Assault & Intimate Violence (SAIV) Helpline. SAIV responders are clinically trained professionals who can provide crisis counseling, safety planning, and emotional support. They are also well-informed about resources both on and off campus.

Your immediate safety and well-being are most important. If you have just been hurt, please take steps to make sure you are in a safe place.
 

Get a Forensic Medical Exam

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Try to seek medical attention as soon as possible. Evidence collection, treatment options, and some prevention measures (such as pregnancy) are time-limited. If a sexual assault happened recently, consider receiving evaluation and treatment by a specially trained Sexual Assault Nurse Examiner (SANE). Intimate partner violence exams are also available shortly after an assault. Both exams are provided at no cost and without proof of insurance. No police report or proof of citizenship is required. 

The SANE nurse will evaluate you for injuries, help prevent pregnancy and infections (if applicable), and collect forensic evidence in case you decide (now or later) to file a police report.

If you would like to reach an advocate to receive a forensic medical exam for a sexual assault, or to talk through the examination process, call the DC Victim Hotline at 1-844-4HELPDC (844-443-5732). 

Going through an exam doesn’t obligate you to file a police report, but it collects and preserves evidence in the event that you decide to do so later. You can also file a police report without obtaining a medical exam, but medical evidence will often be helpful in that process.  

Complete the following steps to get an exam:

Step 1

Avoid the following before going to the hospital for a SANE exam:

  • showering
  • using the restroom
  • brushing your teeth
  • eating or drinking
  • changing your clothes
  • smoking or chewing gum
  • cleaning yourself

If you have done any of these things, you should still get a SANE exam. Just take the clothes you were wearing at the time of the assault. Use a paper bag to carry your clothes in if you have one available.

Step 2

Each county has a dedicated SANE program and you must go to the hospital that has the program in the county where your incident happened.

For example, if your incident happened on GW’s Foggy Bottom or Mount Vernon Campus, you will need to go to Washington Hospital Center. Please note that GW Hospital does not provide SANE exams. 

For incidents that occurred in D.C.

Washington Hospital Center
110 Irving Street NW
Washington, D.C. 20010

DC Victim Services Hotline: 1-844-4HELPDC (844-443-5732)

ER202-877-7632

For incidents that occurred in Northern Virginia

Inova Fairfax Hospital
3300 Gallows Road
Falls Church, VA 22042

Inova Ewing Forensic Assessment and Consultation Teams (FACT): 703-776-6666 (option 3) during business hours. After regular business hours, please call 703-776-4001 and ask to page FACT nurse.

ER703-776-3116

For incidents that occurred in Maryland

Prince George’s County

Prince George’s Hospital Center
3001 Hospital Drive
Cheverly, MD 20785

The Sexual Assault Center Hotline301-618-3154

ER301-618-2000

Montgomery County

Shady Grove Medical Center
9901 Medical Center Dr.
Rockville, MD 20850

ER240-826-6000

Step 3
  • Option 1: Call SAIV at 202-994-7222 and the advocate on call can connect you to the appropriate SANE program and help arrange free transportation to the appropriate hospital.
  • Option 2: For incidents that occurred in D.C., call the D.C. Victim Services Hotline: 1-844-4HELPDC (844-443-5732) and the advocate on call can answer any questions you may have about the exam process and can help arrange free transportation to Washington Hospital Center.
  • Option 3: Call the relevant SANE program directly, and they can answer any questions you may have about their process.
Step 4

A complete forensic examination can take several hours. If you can, bring items to make yourself comfortable:

  • a book or something else to keep yourself occupied
  • a phone charger
  • comfortable clothes to change into after the exam
  • snacks and drinks to have after the exam
  • an advocate will be present with you at the hospital, but you can also bring a friend or other support person with you if you would like.

Get Medical Attention at the Student Health Center 

Even if you do not want a forensic exam, medical attention may still be important. 

You can go to the Student Health Center (SHC) to be examined by a medical professional and screened for illness, pregnancy, and injury. This exam can be done without billing your insurance or having any related documentation sent to your insurance policy holder.

Call or walk in to the SHC for a medical appointment and let them know that you need medical evaluation following a sexual assault, but that you do not wish to have a forensic examination.

Talking to a professional counselor can be an important part of healing.

Counseling is a safe, confidential, and non-judgmental space where you can share things you might not be able to otherwise and receive support and feedback from someone with professional training about assault and trauma.

Counseling can help you manage trauma symptoms, figure out how to talk to people in your life about your experience, understand how to approach intimate relationships, and generally to feel safer and more in control.

There are a number of counseling resources in the District of Columbia. Below are a handful of local counseling resources that you may want to connect with.  Counseling & Psychological Services (CAPS) within the Student Health Center can also provide an extensive list of local counseling resources.

Wendt Center for Loss and Healing

The Wendt Center offers individual and group counseling for trauma survivors. Wendt accepts a variety of insurance plans.

The Whitman Walker Clinic

Whitman Walker offers individual counseling, group support, and integrated health-mental health management for people in the LGBTQ+ community.

The Psychiatric Institute of Washington (PIW)

PIW provides individual and group counseling as well as inpatient services for people who have experienced trauma. PIW accepts a variety of insurance plans.

Jewish Coalition Against Domestic Abuse (JCADA)

JCADA offers individual and group counseling.

DC Rape Crisis Center (DCRCC)

DCRCC offers individual and group counseling services free of charge.

Private Mental Health Practitioners 

Many independent therapists and counselors have special training and experience working with individuals who have experienced sex discrimination, sexual or gender-based harassment, sexual assault, intimate partner violence, or stalking. Private therapists will either bill your insurance or submit a receipt to you so that you can submit a claim. If you do have insurance, the customer service center (usually listed on your insurance card) can give you a list of practitioners who accept your plan. Most therapists will speak with you on the phone or in person for a consultation prior to making an appointment.

Feel free to ask them if they have special training or experience working with individuals who have experienced sex discrimination, sexual or gender-based harassment, sexual assault, intimate partner violence or stalking. Staff in GW’s Student Health Center can help connect you to a private practitioner.

Financial assistance with counseling costs might also be available to you through the Crime Victims Compensation Program, a resource through the District of Columbia Courts. Contact GW’s Office of Advocacy and Support or the Network for Victim Recovery in D.C. for help accessing the funds.

 

Each county has a dedicated SANE program and you must go to the hospital that has the program in the county where your incident happened.

For example, if your incident happened on GW’s Foggy Bottom or Mount Vernon Campus, you will need to go to Washington Hospital Center.  Please note that GW Hospital does not provide SANE exams. 

Incidents in D.C.

Washington Hospital Center
110 Irving Street NW
Washington, DC 20010

DC Victim Services Hotline: 1-844-4HELPDC (844-443-5732)

ER: 202-877-7632

Incidents in Northern Virginia

Inova Fairfax Hospital
3300 Gallows Road
Falls Church, VA 22042

Inova Ewing Forensic Assessment and Consultation Teams (FACT): 703-776-6666 (option 3) during business hours. After regular business hours, please call 703-776-4001 and ask to page FACT nurse.

ER: 703-776-3116

Incidents in Maryland

Prince George’s County

Prince George’s Hospital Center
3001 Hospital Drive
Cheverly, MD 20785

The Sexual Assault Center Hotline: 301-618-3154

ER: 301-618-2000

Montgomery County

Shady Grove Medical Center
9901 Medical Center Dr.
Rockville, MD 20850

ER: 240-826-6000

 

 

Option 1: Call SAIV at 202-994-7222 and the advocate on call can connect you to the appropriate SANE program and help arrange transportation to the appropriate hospital. SAIV members may also be able to go with you to the hospital if you feel it would be helpful.

Option 2: Call the relevant SANE program directly, and they will help arrange transportation.

 

 
A complete forensic examination can take several hours. If you can, bring items to make yourself comfortable: a book or something else to keep yourself occupied a phone charger comfortable clothes to change into after the exam snacks and drinks to have after the exam An advocate will be present with you at the hospital, but you can also bring a friend or other support person with you if you would like.