Illinois Valley News, Cave Junction, OR Wednesday, June 23, 2004
AG extols
fund for
victims of
sex crime
Launching Oregon’s
Sexual Assault Victims’
Emergency Medical Re-
sponse Fund was an-
nounced by Attorney Gen-
eral Hardy Myers.
The fund, enacted by
the 2003 Legislature as
Senate Bill 752, makes
fundamental improvements
in the provision of medical
care and the payments for
forensic examinations ad-
ministered to victims of
sexual assault.
The fund, said Myers,
dramatically improves the
response to victims of sex-
ual assault by ensuring that
the costs for medical care
will be paid when the vic-
tim is examined within
seven days of an assault,
regardless of whether the
crime is reported or not.
The fund also will pay to
collect forensic evidence
and for prescriptions to
prevent pregnancy and
sexually transmitted dis-
ease for assault victims.
In establishing the
fund, the Dept. of Justice
(DOJ), working with advo-
cates, care-providers and
law enforcement, adopted
a set of guidelines to better
standardize the provision
of care to victims and the
collection of evidence for
law enforcement.
“Today marks a new
era in Oregon’s commit-
ment to victims of sexual
assault,” Myers said. “No
longer will rape victims
get a bill for their medical
care and examinations. No
longer will law enforce-
ment agencies have to
choose between the collec-
tion of evidence and the
bottom line. Victims and
law enforcement can prop-
erly turn their attention to
the hard work of recovery
and prosecution.”
Prior to the enactment
of the fund, statutes re-
quired law enforcement
agencies to pay for the cost
of medical examinations
required in the investiga-
tion of sexual offenses.
This policy posed chal-
lenges for medical-
providers, for the law en-
forcement community and,
most devastatingly, for
victims of crime.
Hospitals and care-
providers were forced to
distinguish, often arbitrar-
ily, between medical care
and forensic examination
and then determine the
proper billing mechanisms.
Local law enforcement
was asked to pay the medi-
cal and forensic costs with
no additional funding. Ab-
sent a statewide standard,
victims of crime were of-
ten left holding the bill.
The fund will provide
a centralized funding
source for the medical and
forensic claims arising
from incidents of sexual
assault. It will be financed
through grants, gifts and
other sources. Providence
Health Systems contrib-
uted $50,000 to the fund.
Statewide, medical-
service providers adminis-
ter nearly 2,000 forensic
examinations annually.
The fund will compen-
sate up to $610 for exams
conducted by a certified
Sexual Assault Nurse Ex-
aminer (SANE), and $535
for exams conducted by a
non-SANE medical profes-
sional.
There is no good deed
too small to perform.
- Anonymous -
PROMOTIONS - Illinois
Valley Fire District Vol-
unteer Lt. Tom Zulliger
(left) has been promoted
to captain at the O’Brien
Station; and staff Divi-
sion Training Chief Jeff
Gavlik has been ad-
vanced to the rank of
deputy chief. The promo-
tions were announced by
Chief Harry Rich on Mon-
day, June 14.
O’Brien housing pending
With final plat ap-
proval from the Josephine
County Board of Commis-
sioners for the Sunny Pines
Subdivision, a new four-lot
development will take
shape in O’Brien.
The developer, An-
drew Rubin of Grants Pass,
said that brush removal
and site preparation for
new homes on the 5-acre
parcels could begin imme-
diately.
“We have had interest
expressed on the lots,” he
said. “You could see activ-
ity as soon as this week.”
Rubin has owned the
property off Kinnickinnick
Road for 20 years, he said.
It was anticipated that
county commissioners
would approve the final
plat during their meeting
on Wednesday, June 23.
Page 9
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