SERVICES OFFERED BY RVA
Advocacy
The Rape Victim Advocates medical advocacy program currently works with 13 Chicago-area hospitals. Our medical advocacy services are available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, at the Emergency Rooms of one of these 13 hospitals. When a sexual assault survivor arrives at one of our contracted hospitals, the hospital pages an advocate to assist this survivor while he or she is in the ER. The advocate provides emotional support, medical and legal information, referrals and initial follow-up services to survivors and their significant others. If the survivor requests additional follow-up services, a staff advocate can provide more long-term medical and legal advocacy.
The Advocacy Department also works with institutions that serve survivors to assure sensitive and informed treatment of survivors of sexual abuse sexual assault. Currently, the Advocacy Department is working with the Sexual Assault Response Team (SART) to improve the care and response of first responding systems (law enforcement, hospital staff, and the State's Attorney's Office) to sexual assault survivors. We have been assisting with the implementation of pilot Sexual Assault Nurse Examiner (SANE) programs at Northwestern Memorial, Cook County, and Illinois Masonic Hospitals.
Counseling
Free and confidential counseling is provided by professional counselors to survivors of sexual assault, childhood sexual abuse, and incest. Survivors can receive individual, couple/family, and group counseling at RVA's Central (downtown) office or at the satellite offices located in the Austin community and the John H. Stroger, Jr. Hospital Fantus Clinic. Specialized counselors are available for adolescent survivors.
Education and Training
Rape Victim Advocates' Education and Training Department offers a variety of awareness and prevention programming throughout the city of Chicago. Working in Chicago Public Schools, community groups, social service organizations, university classrooms, and student alliances are some of the ways in which Rape Victim Advocates spreads empowerment and knowledge about sexual violence. The Education and Training Department also provides comprehensive professional training for social workers, clergy, law enforcement, university faculty and staff, and many others. Most of our trainings are tailored to fit the specific needs of our audiences. All of our educators are Illinois State Certified rape crisis counselors and have had extensive training in Sexual Violence Prevention
Austin Community Office
The Austin Community Office has a counselor and a legal/medical advocate to serve the needs of survivors and their significant others in Chicago's Austin Community. Phone 708-358-1198
John H. Stroger, Jr. Hospital Office
John H. Stroger, Jr. Hospital, formerly known as Cook County Hospital, is the largest public hospital in Illinois. In 1996, RVA and Cook County Hospital formed a partnership that now enables RVA to provide a wide range of services to the hospital's inpatient and outpatient population. Our Stroger satellite office also serves the Illinois Medical District, which includes a cluster of hospitals in Chicago's near Southwest side. Phone 312-864-6111 or 312-864-6112
Children's Medical/Legal Advocate
The RVA Children's Medical/Legal Advocate specializes in providing advocacy services to children and adolescents and their significant others, throughout the medical and criminal justice processes. Services are bilingual English/Spanish. This advocate is also available to provide child-specific training on sexual assault and abuse issues. The Children's Advocate's office is located at RISE Children's Center, 300 S. Ashland Avenue, Suite 301, just west of Chicago's Loop. Phone 312-733-2102, Ext. 417.
