Southern Tier Health Care System, Inc.

Sexual assault and child abuse are public health concerns that have not benefited from the kind of innovation that has improved the quality of care in so many other areas.

Southern Tier Health Care System addressed the problem of inadequate medical and social services for victims of violence and sexual abuse by implementing a Sexual Assault Forensic Examiner program and a Child Advocacy Center to serve Allegany and Cattaraugus counties.

Sexual assault and child abuse are tragic public health concerns that have not benefited from the kind of innovation that has improved the quality of care in so many other areas. This grant to the Southern Tier Health Care System supports an innovative program that addresses the treatment of victims of sexual abuse and violence.

Major project activities include establishing a Sexual Assault Nurse Examiner (SANE) Program, and a Child Advocacy Center (CAC) in Allegany and Cattaraugus Counties. The SANE program offers comprehensive, cohesive, and compassionate care to victims of sexual assault. Its services include providing victim-sensitive sexual assault exams, collecting forensic evidence, counseling, follow-up medical care, and testifying in court. The CAC allows children to be treated in a child-friendly environment and to be interviewed only once, making the experience less traumatic for both the children and their families. Southern Tier expects the SANE program and CAC to serve approximately 1,000 local residents.

The Southern Tier Health Care System is a three-county rural health network serving Allegany, Cattaraugus, and Chautauqua counties. Its mission is to improve the wellness of its rural communities, and it collaborates with health departments, hospitals, and other organizations in the three counties.