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Washington State University Compliance and Civil Rights

Medical and Mental Healthcare

If you have experienced sex or gender-based violence or know somebody who has, you might consider accessing the below medical, or counseling resources.

Medical Services/Sexual Assault Exams/Drug Tests

For emergency medical assistance, dial 911.

In most instances, care providers from the following resources can talk with you confidentially about your concerns.  Please note, if you receive hospital care after a sexual assault, you may receive a medical evaluation from a trained Sexual Assault Nurse Examiner (SANE) which includes a medical-legal examination and collects forensic evidence.  You can also be tested for date rape drugs and sexually transmitted diseases.

The SANE exam is a good source of evidence collection, particularly for criminal prosecutions, and it is up to you if you would like to receive one. Please note, evidence from a SANE exam is not required to report an assault to WSU.

If you are interested in a SANE exam, it is typically recommended that you go to a hospital emergency department within 5 days of an assault.  It is also recommended not to shower or change clothes before the exam, or to have collected items that could be used as evidence.

What can you expect at a SANE exam?

  1. A SANE examiner or a victim advocate will go through your various options for collecting evidence, and you get to decide how much or how little evidence you want collected. This is because some of the SANE exam steps may make a person who feel uncomfortable. For example, the exam can include taking blood samples, cotton swab samples, photographing injuries, etc, and for each item, you can decide whether or not you consent to the procedure.
  2. You will also likely be offered an option to report to the police. You are not required to report to the police, but keep in mind that reporting means that evidence can be collected right away. This can be helpful where there are witness statements whose memories may fade over time or where there is evidence that might be destroyed over time.  Please know, the SANE examiner can still collect evidence and securely maintain it, even if you do not report the crime to police.
  3. You will likely be offered an opportunity to meet with a victim advocate.  A victim advocate is knowledgeable about resources and options that are available to a survivor of violence and can help support you through these processes.
  4. The SANE exam is free. In Washington, the forensic exam is billed to the WA Crime Victims Compensation Program. However, if there are additional injuries that need to be treated, that may be billed to personal insurance. To get those additional costs covered, you have to file a police report, cooperate with a criminal investigation, and then file a claim with the WA State Crime Victims Compensation Program.  A victim advocate can help you with this process.
  5. If you believe you have been drugged, it is important to tell the SANE examiner and receive the forensic exam as soon as possible. Some drugs leave your body quickly and may not turn up in a test, depending on the delay. The two options for drug testing include a urine and blood sample, depending on the type of drug. The drug tests can also be covered by the WA Crime Victims Compensation Program.
    1. Please note, alcohol is the most used substance to facilitate rape.
    2. You do not need a drug test to report your assault or attempted assault to WSU.  WSU can look at other evidence (behavior, witness statements, etc) to help determine if a person was incapacitated by some substance.
  6. After evidence is collected, it will be transferred to law enforcement. At this stage, you get to decide if you want law enforcement to have your name or to receive the evidence anonymously.
  7. After the SANE exam, you will be offered emergency contraception, STD medication, and in some circumstances, HIV preventative medications.

For information on emergency contraception, the morning after pill or Plan B, talk to your doctor, pharmacy, or clinic. More information can be found at Not-2-late

Counseling Services

In most instances, care providers from the following resources can talk with you confidentially about your concerns.

Pullman

Spokane

Tri-Cities

Vancouver

Everett

Nationwide

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