Sexual Assault Services

Your consent is needed at every stage of the exam. The nurse will explain the whole process and can answer any questions you may have. No one will be forced to do ANY part of the exam. You can say “no” at any time, but it may be helpful to complete the entire exam for your health and safety.

This is the time when you talk to the nurse alone (or with an advocate present) about what happened. This helps the nurse best understand where to look for injuries and what kind of treatment is needed. Any support people besides an advocate will likely be asked to step out during this time. 

Additionally, the nurse will document your account, and if you choose to report to law enforcement, this documentation will supplement your report.

At this time, the nurse will look over your body for any injuries. They will document any bruise, scratch, or cut, and take pictures of them. 

After looking at your body, the nurse will examine your genital area if the assault included genital contact. Looking at this area is important for detecting any injuries, health issues, signs of infection, or anatomical variations that may not have been identified. The nurse will prioritize your comfort if you experience any pain.

The nurse may take pictures of this area. The pictures are protected and are released only to authorized staff involved in your case (if you decide to report; otherwise they are not released and eventually destroyed).

The nurse can collect potential evidence in the form of swabs up to 7 days after the assault. You have a choice whether you would like evidence collected during the exam. Many patients who are unsure about reporting decide to have evidence collected and stored confidentially, so they can later decide whether to file a police report. If you never choose to report the assault, the stored evidence will be destroyed after a set period of time. These swabs are made of cotton. Urine and blood may be collected for toxicology, though many substances leave the blood stream quickly. You may go to the bathroom and shower prior to an exam, though more evidence will be able to be collected the sooner you can get an exam.

You may bring evidence to your exam. These may be clothes, tampons, condoms, sheets, razors, with DNA evidence on them of the suspect. Please bring them in a paper bag.

The nurse can provide prophylactic (preventative) treatment for some sexually transmitted infections (STIs) including gonorrhea, chlamydia, bacterial vaginosis (BV), trichomonas, and HIV. They may also offer emergency contraception. The majority of these medications are all covered by the exam. 

Because STIs have an incubation period of 10-14 days, no testing is done during the exam — only treatment. If testing is preferred by the patient or if follow-up testing is recommended by the nurse, patients may schedule an appointment at Boynton. In some circumstances, we do more extensive testing for HIV, Hepatitis C, and Syphilis. This is done through urine, swabs, or blood work, depending on the test. 

This is the end of the exam. Your providers will give you all of the information you need to follow up with any test results, evidence collection, and answer any questions that you may have. Boynton Health is here to support you in your healing and will provide follow-up medical care and/or mental health care catered to your needs. You have the option to seek ongoing advocacy and support from the Aurora Center or another local confidential advocacy agency.

No. You do not have to report what happened to the police, and you do not need to make this decision right now. You can say “no” to any part of the exam. 
 

No. You have a choice whether evidence is collected during the exam. We can collect potential DNA evidence in the form of swabs up to 7 days after the assault. Many patients who are unsure about reporting decide to have evidence collected and stored confidentially, so they can decide later whether to file a police report. 

If you never decide to report the assault, the stored evidence will be stored “restricted” (secure, anonymous, unopened, and unprocessed), and destroyed after a minimum of 2.5 years. The exam is still very important for your health and safety, with or without evidence collection.

A thorough exam can still be completed even while you are menstruating. A menstrual cycle is completely normal, and nurses know how to navigate exams while helping you feel as comfortable as possible.

Yes. Although forensic evidence collection is generally limited to 7 days after the assault, we still recommend seeking medical care. You can schedule an appointment with a Boynton provider, who can assess for healing injuries or signs of infection, and provide comprehensive sexually transmitted infections (STI) testing and other care as needed. If you do not want a physical exam, you may choose Boynton’s drop-in STI and urine pregnancy testing (UPT) services.

There is no charge for this exam. If you are getting the exam at Boynton Health, it is completely free. If you need further medical assistance or need to go to an emergency room, you may receive a bill for those services. 

Yes, you can see any clinician at Boynton for sexually transmitted infection (STI) testing and a physical exam. What sets sexual assault nurses apart is that they are specially trained to provide trauma-informed care, identify trauma on the body, perform evidence collection (if you choose), obtain detailed photography, and documentation, and testify in the court process, if needed.

Boynton offers the sexual assault exam during regular business hours (Monday - Friday, 8:00 a.m. - 4:30 p.m.). Because the exam can take up to 4 hours to complete, we require that patients arrive before 2:00 p.m. to request a same-day exam.

You may drop in to Boynton Health between 8:00 a.m. - 2:00 p.m., or if you prefer to schedule an appointment ahead of time, call (612)-625-3222. If you need to be seen after 2:00 p.m., exams are also performed at hospital emergency rooms, open 24/7.

Sexual assault exams are performed at most hospital emergency rooms 24/7, including:

• M Health Fairview University of Minnesota Medical Center - East Bank Hospital
  425 Delaware St. SE, Minneapolis, MN 55455
• M Health Fairview University of Minnesota Medical Center - West Bank Hospital
  2450 Riverside Ave S, Minneapolis, MN 55454
• Hennepin Healthcare
  750 Park Ave, Minneapolis, MN 55415
• M Health Fairview University of Minnesota Masonic Children’s Hospital
  2450 Riverside Ave, Minneapolis, MN 55454
• Abbott Northwestern (offers exam up to 10 days after assault)
  800 E 28th St, Minneapolis, MN 55407

See other hospital locations that offer this exam up to 10 days after an assault.

Contact us at [email protected] or 612-625-8400.