Ottawa Hospital treating more victims of sexual assault, intimate partner violence

More victims of sexual abuse and intimate partner violence are seeking help from the Ottawa Hospital this year compared to last year, according to its care facilitator.

The Sexual Assault and Partner Abuse Care Program (SAPACP) is a program at Ottawa Hospital that provides one-on-one care to patients who are 16 years or older and have experienced sexual or intimate partner violence.

The program received around 1,200 patients last year, and have already reached that number this year, according to SAPACP care facilitator Kaitlyn Maki.

The program expects to see around 1,500 patients by the end of 2024.

This represents a 30 per cent increase in people seeking care for sexual assault and a 10 per cent increase in people seeking care after intimate partner violence, according to Maki, who is also a registered nurse.

That increase suggests a need for more data about sexual and intimate partner violence and more funding to support victims willing to seek help, experts told CBC. Link to story here.