100+ Tri-Cities Women Who Care 8th Big Give Recipients

On behalf of Branch House, victims/survivors, our partner agencies, and the community as a whole, we extend our gratitude to 100+ Tri-Cities Women Who Care for their generous support to all those who need healing from interpersonal violence.  Branch House, which opened its doors in 2018, is a non-profit organization that provides free and confidential services through a collaborative partnership for victims of domestic violence, sexual assault, stalking, elder abuse, human trafficking, teen dating violence, and secondary victims of homicide.

In March 2020 Branch House filled a large service gap in the community by partnering with Ballad Health to open an in-house Forensic Sexual Assault Exam Room operated by a certified SANE A trained nurse.  The purpose of the Forensic Sexual Assault Exam Program is to perform free and confidential Forensic Sexual Assault Exams in a victim-centered environment with a trauma-informed care approach throughout the entire process, resulting in individualized care to minimize secondary trauma. 

With any new program, there are many needs that can be expensive and budget draining; thus, the donations from 100+ Tri-Cities Women Who Care will allow Branch House to sustain the program by providing the funds for two pieces of expensive and much needed equipment.  The first is an exam table that is compliant with the Americans with Disability Act and meets the needs of those who have disabilities.  In order to respectfully serve all victims of sexual assault and meet the needs of today’s clients, adequate forensic care must be safe and fit the needs of all body types.

More importantly is the second need which is providing and simplifying patient access to post-sexual assault preventative medications for HIV and sexually transmitted diseases.  This may seem like a simple process; however, it has been a large hurdle for our program.  In order to receive those medications, Branch House must purchase and provide a HIPPA compliant telehealth platform, which would allow the Sexual Assault Nurse Examiner to virtually and instantly connect with a physician during the exam and afterwards for consultations.  Prescriptions can then be provided for clients who can retrieve the medications for free at their local pharmacy through a partnership with medical companies.  Offering telehealth services to victims of sexual assaults has been a goal for some time; however, the funding for such an undertaking has yet to be available.  Accomplishing these two goals will be a huge step in the healing process for victims of abuse. 

On behalf of the Branch House Staff and our partner agencies, it is an honor to assist victims in the process to becoming survivors and helping to give them a voice.  It is a privilege to live and work in a community that believes there should be zero tolerance for abuse.  Thank you 100+ Tri-CitiesWomen Who Care for being an integral part of the journey, and for selecting Branch House as the recipients of your 8th Big Give!