‘We believe you’: The work of nurses at this sexual assault unit goes beyond medical exams

BALTIMORE — On the ground floor of Greater Baltimore Medical Center, behind several locked doors — each monitored by a security camera, is a place where people come on what might be the worst day of their lives.

It’s quiet here. There are paintings of butterflies and photographs of flowers in the hallway and blankets draped over armchairs in the lobby. An owl plushie dressed in a winter hat and scarf sits atop a pile of stuffed animals in a wooden basket.

A few steps away from the lobby is a well-used coffee machine and a well-stocked refrigerator in case someone comes hungry. A pudgy African claw-toed frog named Speck swims in a little tank nearby.

This is the home of the Towson hospital’s domestic violence and Sexual Assault Forensic Examination ― or SAFE ― program. It’s the only one in Baltimore County that treats both children and adult victims of intimate partner violence, sexual assault, human trafficking and non-fatal strangulation.

Here, registered nurses care for abuse survivors and collect evidence that’s sent to the Baltimore County Police Department Crime Lab and potentially used later in a trial. They swab for DNA, take photos of bruises and sometimes take samples of hair, blood or urine.

They also sit with survivors as they cry and listen ― without judgment or condescension ― as they tell their stories. Like a mantra, they tell survivors over and over that their abuse was not their fault.

“We believe you,” Jen DiNoto, a forensic nurse examiner who works part-time at GBMC’s SAFE program and full-time at Medstar Franklin Square Medical Center’s emergency room, tells her patients. “This is a safe place. You can talk to me.”

That soft, compassionate touch is crucial for those working with people who have been violently victimized, said Amanda Rodriguez, executive director of TurnAround, the designated rape crisis center for Baltimore City and Baltimore County, which works closely with GBMC’s SAFE program.

Shock often consumes people in the aftermath of being sexually assaulted or otherwise abused, Rodriguez said. For survivors, seeking help — and acknowledging they were violated — can be a big step. To have the person they confide in not only believe them, but try to help them regain some of the power and control that was taken from them, can be a turning point in their healing.

“The rape kit in itself can be traumatizing. Someone is giving you a medical exam after a sexual assault,” Rodriguez said. “It’s pretty awesome that [the SAFE nurses] were able to create a space where it makes you feel like you’re not going into just another sterile environment where someone’s going to take pieces of evidence off of you, but instead you’re really cared for.”

…continued

swipe to next page