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Crisis and Immediate Support

Orange County Sexual Assault Prevention and Advocacy Program

Sexual Assault Prevention and Advocacy Program (SAPA)

SAPA provides confidential support, advocacy, information, and referrals to survivors of sexual violence and their loved ones. Our advocates support adults and children of all genders, sexual orientations, races, ethnicities, and income levels throughout Orange County.

Get Support Now

If you or someone you care about has experienced sexual violence, an advocate is available 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Call 311 in Orange County or 1-800-832-1200.

You can call even if you are unsure what you want to do next. An advocate will listen, explain your options, and support the choices that feel right for you.

How SAPA Can Help

SAPA advocates provide:

  • Crisis intervention and emotional support
  • Information about medical care, reporting options, and available resources
  • Accompaniment to hospitals, police departments, courts, and the Orange County District Attorney’s Office
  • Support during school or college proceedings and investigations
  • Referrals for counseling, medical follow-up, and other community services
  • Support and information for family members, friends, and other loved ones

Hospital Accompaniment and Sexual Assault Exams

SAPA advocates are available 24/7 to accompany survivors to hospitals in Orange County. Advocates can provide emotional support, explain available options, and remain with the survivor during the hospital visit.

The Sexual Assault Examiner (SAE) Program provides specialized medical care, forensic evidence collection, and post-sexual-assault treatment for survivors age 12 and older. The program operates in partnership with Garnet Health Medical Center, Montefiore St. Luke’s Cornwall Hospital, and the Orange County District Attorney’s Office.

Sexual Assault Examiners are specially trained and certified by the New York State Department of Health. During an exam, you remain in control. You may pause, skip, or stop any part of the exam at any time.

You do not have to make a police report to receive medical care or have evidence collected. If you have showered, changed clothes, used the restroom, or cleaned up, you can still receive care and request an exam.

To speak with an advocate before going to the hospital, call 311 or 1-800-832-1200.

Advocacy During Reporting and Legal Proceedings

Deciding whether to report sexual violence is personal. SAPA advocates can explain available options and provide support before, during, and after interactions with law enforcement, courts, the District Attorney’s Office, or a school or college.

Advocates do not make decisions for survivors. Their role is to help survivors understand the process, identify available resources, and make informed choices about their safety and healing.

Information and Referrals

Every survivor’s needs are different. SAPA advocates can help connect survivors and their loved ones with:

  • Counseling and emotional support
  • Medical care and follow-up services
  • Safety-planning resources
  • Community-based support services
  • Information about reporting and legal options
  • Additional services based on the survivor’s individual needs

Additional Support for Teens

Orange County teens can text 845-391-1000 to connect with a trained Text4Teens counselor 24/7.

Contact SAPA

For 24/7 support or to connect with a SAPA advocate:

Call 311 in Orange County
Call 1-800-832-1200

You do not have to face this alone. Support is available when you are ready.

Supporting Someone You Care About

How you respond when someone shares an experience of sexual violence matters. Listen without judgment, believe what they tell you, avoid pressuring them to take a particular action, and support their right to make their own decisions.

SAPA advocates are also available to help family members, friends, and other supportive people understand how they can respond.

Prevention Education and Professional Training

SAPA provides sexual violence prevention education throughout Orange County for:

  • Middle school and high school students
  • College students and campus communities
  • Educators and school administrators
  • Law enforcement professionals
  • Medical and behavioral health professionals
  • Community organizations

Programs may address consent, healthy relationships, sexual harassment, dating violence, bystander intervention, trauma-informed responses, human trafficking, nonfatal strangulation, and responding to disclosures of sexual violence.

To request a SAPA presentation, outreach event, or professional training, complete the MHA Event, Outreach, or Training Request.

Frequently Asked Questions:

  • What is a forensic evidence collection kit?

    DNA evidence from a crime like sexual assault can be collected from the crime scene, but it can also be collected from your body, clothes, and other personal belongings. You may choose to have a sexual assault forensic exam, sometimes known as a “rape kit,” to preserve DNA evidence and receive important medical care. You do not have to report the crime to have an exam, but the process gives you the chance to safely store evidence should you decide to report at a later time.

  • How do I maintain evidence before the exam?

    If you are able, try to avoid activities that could potentially damage evidence such as:
    - Bathing
    - Showering
    - Using the restroom
    - Changing clothes
    - Combing hair
    - Cleaning up the area
    It is natural to want to go through these motions after a traumatic experience. If you have done any of these activities, you can still have an exam performed. You may want to bring a spare change of clothes with you to the hospital or health facility where you are going to have the exam or new clothes may be provided to you.
    Any post-sexual assault treatment, forensic evidence collection, or medications given at the hospital will all be paid by the Office of Victim Services.

  • What is involved with a sexual assault forensic exam?

    The steps below outline the general process for the exam. Remember, you can stop, pause, or skip steps at any time during the exam. It is entirely your choice.
    Immediate care. If you have injuries that require immediate attention, those will be taken care of first.

    History. You will be asked about your current medications, pre-existing conditions, and other questions pertaining to your health history. Some of the questions, such as those about recent consensual sexual activity, may seem very personal, but these questions are designed to ensure that DNA and other evidence collected from the exam can be connected to the perpetrator. You will also be asked about the details of what has happened to you to help identify all potential areas of injury as well as places on your body or clothes where evidence may be located.

    Head-to-toe examination. This part of the exam may be based on your specific experience, which is why it is important to give an accurate history. It may include a full body examination, including internal examinations of the mouth, vagina, and/or anus. It may also include taking samples of blood, urine, swabs of body surface areas, and sometimes hair samples. The trained professional performing the exam may take photographs of your body to document injuries during the examination. With your permission, they may also collect items of clothing, including undergarments. Any other forms of physical evidence that are identified during the examination may be collected and packaged for analysis, such as a torn piece of the perpetrator’s clothing, a stray hair, or debris.

    Follow up care. You may be offered medications that are a part of post sexual-assault treatment. These medications include antibiotics to prevent sexually transmitted infections, nPep to prevent you from contracting HIV, Plan B emergency contraception to prevent pregnancy, and any booster shots you may need such as tetanus. These medications require a follow up appointment with a medical professional. Depending on the circumstances and where you live, the exam site may schedule a follow up appointment, or you can ask about resources in your community that offer follow-up care for survivors of sexual assault. Someone from the exam site may also be able to provide information or resources about reporting options.

    To connect with an advocate or get more information, call the 24/7 Orange County Crisis Call Center at 311.

Our Impact 2025

  • Services Provided in our Community

    102,600+

  • Meals Served to Participants

    8,500+

  • Crisis Contacts

    65,000+

  • Sexual Assault Survivors Supported

    200+

© 2026 Mental Health Association in Orange County Inc.
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