Volunteers train to support, empower those in Long Island ERs after trauma of sexual assault, abuse

When Gámien Batchelor encounters survivors of sexual assault in Nassau County emergency rooms, she hopes to bring them support, information and knowledge in the aftermath of the violence.

Nurses, while they can be thinking of patients’ emotional needs, are focused on evidence collection and the medical side. Law enforcement may be focused on criminal matters. But Batchelor and other rape crisis counselors are focused on the survivors — making sure they know their rights as victims and feel empowered.

"We don’t want to sound like we are coming there to baby the situation," said Batchelor. "We’re coming in there to provide them with power and give them back their power."

On Monday evening, Batchelor and others were prepping the next crop of The Safe Center LI rape crisis counselors to sit in area emergency rooms with survivors of rape, domestic violence, child abuse and other forms of interpersonal violence.

The rape crisis counselor’s time with survivors in emergency rooms is crucial to ensuring that survivors know their rights, experts say. Support is critical as they confront questions like whether they should immediately get a forensic medical examination for evidence or report the incident to law enforcement.

Yet finding people to fill the role of rape crisis counselor in New York can be difficult, with some organizations having to provide virtual assistance because there might not be enough people. Other times, it could mean there is no response, according to advocates and several area administrators.

State law requires hospitals treating possible sexual violence survivors to tell patients that the facilities can reach out to a "rape crisis or local victim assistance organization." The counselors must be certified by the state.

The turnover rate is often high because of the stress of dealing with trauma, experts say.

Counselors meet patients in emergency rooms day or night, every day of the year. They can work as intermediaries with the nursing staff regarding privacy concerns, be present for a forensic medical exam, get the survivor water, hold their hands or just sit with them in silence.

Although their work stops at the hospital’s confines, the volunteers seek to connect patients with other services from the organization that may include emergency shelter and free legal representation. 

"It's not easy work," said Rossana Murillo, director of advocacy and case management department at the Bethpage-based The Safe Center LI. "Although it could be very rewarding — sitting alongside a survivor, it's going to be heavy work."

Emily Miles, executive director of the New York City Alliance Against Sexual Assault — which does statewide advocacy work — said many rape crisis programs throughout New York are suffering from a long-term underinvestment from the state.

Currently, a coalition of rape crisis programs is seeking to expand state funding in the budget for rape crisis programs, trying to increase it from roughly $6.5 million to about $20 million. Hochul’s office didn’t respond to a request for comment Wednesday.

On Long Island, five sites provide the services, according to the state Department of Health website. The Safe Center LI, the only DOH-approved organization to provide the services in Nassau emergency rooms, has about 33 volunteers and is looking for more.

The Crime Victims Center prevention and advocacy staff are all trained as rape crisis counselors, but the nonprofit needs more people to do the work. ECLI-Vibes — an Islandia-based organization — said it has 25 active rape crisis counselor volunteers and 12 in training.

Laura Ahearn, executive director of the Crime Victims Center, said not having enough rape crisis counselors impacts the work the agency can do.

For example, a person hired to do prevention work now might be called at 2 a.m. to respond to an emergency room, taking time away from when they can do their primary job.

"It's a real, real balance, and ... it puts a lot of stress on the organization," said Ahearn, who would like to see the state pay for more volunteers.

Heather Parrott, director of the sexual assault forensic examiner program at ECLI-Vibes, said the organization’s volunteer-based rape crisis counselors fill a critical role, but that they have difficulties covering overnight and weekend shifts.

However, the organization has already seen a 70% increase in the number of shift visits covered from last year, fueled in part by more staff check-ins with volunteers. The organization responds to about 230 calls a year.

"I do think that support that we've been giving them following up after every call, has been helping with retention, because they feel appreciated and supported," Parrott said.

At The Safe Center LI, staff and volunteers have responded in-person to more than 190 calls this year, or more than 550 hours, the organization said. Still, like the other organizations performing this service, a volunteer cannot always get to a location, and work with the victim is forced to be done virtually or not at all.

"The more volunteers we have, the better we can ensure we’re always ready to provide the support survivors need, whenever it’s needed," said Murillo of The Safe Center LI.

To volunteer at The Safe Center LI, an interested person must first apply to the program, pass a criminal background check and be willing to commit to work for at least a year.

A five-week training course continues the application process, where staff assess whether the would-be volunteer behaves and reacts to role-playing hospital scenarios and give presentations about services provided by the center.

Ema Qydeza remembers being nervous driving to a hospital after getting her first call as a volunteer with The Safe Center LI in May. The woman she helped was in emotional and physical pain after a sexual assault.

But the moment she arrived at the facility, her training kicked in. She focused on building trust with the patient, letting her know her rights and advocating with hospital staff.

The most challenging part, she said, comes afterward. Qydeza, 45, remembers thinking about that first patient for about two weeks.

"You don't really know, will they file a report? Will they be assaulted again? Are they with the perpetrator? So that's the hardest part to ... kind of detach," said the Merrick resident.

Skylar Locke, of Massapequa, who was training to be a rape crisis counselor at The Safe Center LI, said she feels she has the emotional strength to do the work.

Locke, 24, hopes to be a force for hope amid trauma — for someone to say, "there is going to be something better to come from this."

"It's hard work, but it really does make the world go 'round," she said.

By Tiffany Cusaac-Smith

tiffany.cusaac-smith@newsday.com@T_Cusaac

Education: Howard University 

Tiffany Cusaac-Smith came to Newsday in 2023 after being a race and history reporter at USA TODAY, where she wrote enterprise and spot articles examining how the past shapes the present. Previously, she worked as the race and justice reporter at the USA TODAY Network of New York, covering issues such as criminal justice reform, housing, environmental justice, health care and politics. At The Journal News/lohud.com in Westchester County, she covered Yonkers, the state's third-largest city. She also worked at The Associated Press in Atlanta.

Honors and Awards: Criminal justice reporting fellowship with the National Press Foundation;  New York News Publishers Association award for distinguished investigative reporting;  Contributed reporting for Best of Gannett honor; Member of Table Stakes, a program funded by the Knight-Lenfest Local News Transformation Fund and managed by the American Press Institute to transform local news.