DCFNE Featured in ABA Journal: "How the COVID-19 pandemic creates obstacles for sexual assault survivors."

An excerpt from the article, originally published on April 23, 2020, can be viewed below:

In March of last year, forensic nurse examiners in Washington, D.C., had encounters with 42 patients seeking treatment for sexual assault. As the novel coronavirus spread during the same month this year, they saw 24 patients, a 43% decrease from 2019.

Those numbers trouble Erin Pollitt, executive director of the District of Columbia Forensic Nurse Examiners, the only provider of sexual assault forensic exams for adults in the district. Since the outbreak, the crime rate has fallen steeply in many American cities and counties. But like other forensic nurses, Pollitt fears the virus could be preventing sexual assault victims from coming forward to seek medical care and have physical evidence collected.

“There could be a variety of factors” that explain the numbers, Pollitt says. “But I would say that the fear of going to a hospital related to COVID is probably a large contributor.”

Read the full article HERE.