If you would like support, please call us at 604 872 8212. All of our services are confidential, free of cost and there is no waitlist.
If you have been raped or sexually assaulted in the last 7 days…
There are multiple hospitals that offer rape kits (also known as forensic nursing, sexual assault service)
- Vancouver General Hospital – Vancouver
- UBC Hospital Urgent Care Centre – Vancouver
- Lions Gate Hospital – North Vancouver
- Surrey Memorial – Surrey
- Abbotsford Regional Hospital – Abbotsford
- Vancouver Coastal Health Sexual Assault Service – Find this service near you (Squamish, Whistler, Sechelt, Powell River, Pemberton)
The hospital visit includes medical care, like tending to injuries, emergency contraception, medications for STI, as well as an optional forensic exam to collect evidence
If you would like someone to come with you to the hospital, you can ask a friend, family member, or an advocate (like us!). If you have any questions about rape kits or want someone to come with you to the hospital, please call our crisis line 604 872 8212.
The forensic exam must be done within 7 days of the sexual assault, but it’s completely up to you whether you want to do a forensic exam at all.
If you want a guarantee that you will be only be seen by women medical professionals
The hospitals that offer the Sexual Assault Service (e.g., Vancouver General Hospital) have woman only teams who are trained to respond to medical needs comprehensively.
While hospitals that offer Forensic Nursing also can have woman only teams, you first have to go through triage and be seen by a general doctor, who could be male.
For more considerations, see here
If it has been longer than 7 days since the attack…
You may want to consider getting an STI test, but you do need to wait +3 weeks for some STI’s to be detectable in a STI test
Some helpful resources for STI testing:
- Getcheckedonline
- Sexual Health Clinics (Vancouver Coastal Health)
- Clinic Finder (OPTIONS for Sexual Health)
- Sexual Health Clinics (Fraser Health)
If you have a family doctor/general physician, you can also ask them for a STI test requisition and go to a LifeLabs for testing.
If you do not have MSP coverage and need financial assistance with STI testing or treatment please contact us at 604 872 8212 for support
Embrace Clinic (Surrey) offers free and confidential specialized medical care for survivors of recent interpersonal violence