Iowa’s first centralized care center for sexual assault survivors moves closer to opening
By Pepper Purpura
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DES MOINES, Iowa (KCCI) — After years of planning, fundraising and advocacy, Iowa’s first centralized care center for sexual assault survivors is entering its final phase before opening this fall.
The Sexual Assault Forensic Exam Center, or SAFE Center, is expected to open in October inside Des Moines University’s clinic tower on Grande Avenue after lawmakers unanimously approved $1.5 million in state funding this legislative session.
Organizers say the project is still about $700,000 short of its fundraising goal, but they believe the center is now closer than ever to becoming a reality.
The SAFE Center is designed to bring together medical care, forensic exams and support services for survivors of sexual assault under one roof.
“It will change the landscape of the way victims are cared for,” founder Shannon Knudsen said.
Right now, many survivors in Iowa receive care through emergency rooms or hospital systems that may not always have trained forensic nurses available.
Knudsen, a longtime Sexual Assault Nurse Examiner, or SANE nurse, said survivors can face long waits or may have to travel between facilities trying to find help.
“Right now, people are waiting eight hours, sometimes 12 hours in the emergency room, and they leave without being seen and getting care,” Knudsen said.
The SAFE Center aims to eliminate many of those barriers by creating a dedicated, standalone facility focused specifically on survivor care.
Once open, the center plans to provide:
24-hour access to care Sexual assault forensic exams Medical treatment Mental health support Victim advocacy services Follow-up care Space for law enforcement interviews and reporting if a survivor pursues it
Knudsen emphasized survivors will not be required to report assaults to police in order to receive services.
“If they want to make their police report, they can make their police report there,” Knudsen said. “They can meet with their victim advocates or their prosecutors or whoever they need to.”
The center is designed to operate independently from hospitals and law enforcement agencies while still coordinating with community partners across Iowa.
Organizers say the goal is to create a trauma-informed environment where survivors know exactly where to go for help.
“It’s to provide that comprehensive care from beginning to end and whatever they may need,” Knudsen said.
Research has shown survivors are more likely to seek help and participate in investigations when care is coordinated, accessible and trauma-informed.
Currently, Iowa’s system can be fragmented, particularly in rural communities where trained forensic nurses may not always be available.
Knudsen said that inconsistency can discourage survivors from continuing the process.
“Sometimes they give up, and that’s a tragedy, because that means that a criminal is going through and no one is going to be prosecuted,” Roxanne Conlin, an advocate for the SAFE Center, said.
Organizers say the Des Moines facility is intended to become the first in a broader statewide network.
The SAFE Center plans to eventually open satellite locations across Iowa to help connect survivors in rural and underserved regions with care closer to home.
Those satellite locations would still coordinate with the Des Moines center while expanding access to forensic exams, advocacy and follow-up services statewide.
Knudsen said demand for services is already significant.
“We see about 300 victims a year right now,” she said. “So that’s been my biggest fear, bursting at our seams on day one of opening the doors.”
The organization says services at the SAFE Center will be free and confidential for survivors.
The bill funding the project is now awaiting the governor’s signature. Independent donations can be made here.
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