Federal funding for 5 Alberta communities to see comprehensive sexual assault response teams
Posted Feb 10, 2015 11:37 am.
This article is more than 5 years old.
The Federal minister of the status of women arrived in Calgary Tuesday to announce funding for a locally based initiative to help sexual assault victims.
The Association of Alberta Sexual Assault Services is trying to break into under-reported rural areas and smaller centres.
Minister Kellie Leitch, flanked by Calgary-Nose Hill MP Diane Ablonzie and Treasury president, MP Tony Clement announced just over $165,000 to create comprehensive response teams in five yet to be named Alberta communities.
AASAS CEO Deb Tomlinson said the funding will go to hiring a project co-ordinator and a sexual assault specialist nurse, among other things.
“We’ll be producing a DVD that will provide instruction for doctors and nurses on how to use the RCMP forensic evidence kit and be placing that on a web or a smart phone app,” Tomlinson said.
“Once again, using technology to make it a little bit easier for professionals in rural communities to access the kind of information they need.”
Once the response teams and a platform for reporting sexual assaults are set up, Tomlinson said different areas can share resources, including across several provinces.
