For a victim of sexual assault, the aftermath can be nearly as traumatizing as the attack itself.

However, local agencies, organizations and businesses are trying to make the process that follows an assault a little easier for victims while still bringing their abusers to justice. Three recent changes to the process in Suffolk have made the hours immediately after an attack more safe and secure for the victim and more respectful of her dignity and need for comfort and control.

“Where we are now due to recent advancements is the best we’ve been,” said Suffolk’s Commonwealth’s Attorney Phil Ferguson. “Things are being done more comprehensively and in a way that causes as little additional trauma to the victim as possible. We want the victim to feel as though they’re treated as family with the respect they deserve and to see justice issued.”

Sentara Obici Hospital recently dedicated a room in its emergency department for specially trained sexual assault nurses, who are brought in from Chesapeake Forensics, to use to treat the patient and collect evidence.

Previously, after patients came into the hospital and underwent interviews, they would be transported to Chesapeake for nurses to collect evidence.

“Women come to us violated beyond belief,” said Janice B. Holland, president of H-E-A-R-T (Hope Exists After Rape Trauma). “They talk to the police, go to the hospital, are interviewed, get in a car to go to Chesapeake. It was a very difficult and taxing process. In many ways it re-victimized the victim, and we wanted to do whatever little bit we could to help them in their situation.”

“I’ve seen it happen before when a woman would come in and have to talk to a detective and then be told she would have to be taken somewhere else and decided she didn’t want to go through with it,” said Kerry Greene, emergency department manager at Sentara Obici Hospital.

The dedicated room also offers the privacy patients need.

“Victims will often feel as though what happened was their fault,” said Marie Walls, senior assistant commonwealth’s attorney. “Having their own room allows them to have privacy without them worrying that people are looking at them or judging them.”

One of the next steps to bring abusers to justice is for nurses to collect evidence from the bodies of the victims.

“It can be a very invasive process that lasts for hours,” Walls said. “Whatever the abuser did or left behind, the nurse has to collect and take photos of. For women who were just violated, it can be a very, very difficult thing for them to do.”

To help with that process, H-E-A-R-T secured a special camera used to document evidence. It automatically adjusts to the patient’s skin tone to better photograph bruises, and also has a feature to allow victims to take the photo themselves.

“It can give them a sense of power and control while they’re going through the exam,” Holland said. “You can feel so powerless and we want them to know that we’re here to empower them. Having that power and that control is necessary to heal.”

In addition to securing the camera, H-E-A-R-T also donated 37 packages of clothing for patients.

“All a [person’s] clothing becomes evidence,” Walls said. “Their underwear, their shoes — everything is evidence.”

“This way no one has to worry about bringing or finding extra clothes, and they don’t have to leave the hospital in a paper gown,” Holland said. “They can walk out of the hospital with dignity and respect.”

Ferguson emphasized that in the past 15 years, there have been steady advancements in the area of assisting sexual abuse victims through the cooperative effort of area agencies and organizations.

“This is our community and we’re here to provide and take care of the people in it,” added Walls. “It’s just not acceptable to not have the resources they need and to have a process that makes a bad situation worse. We are here to take care of our citizens and be here for them when they need us.”

The area SART — Sexual Assault Response Team — includes the Commonwealth’s Attorney’s office, H-E-A-R-T, the victim/witness program, Sentara Obici Hospital, Chesapeake Forensic Specialist, the Suffolk Police Department, YWCA’s Response Sexual Assault Services and the Children’s Hospital of the King’s Daughters.