NEW PROGRAM FOR DATE RAPE DRUG VICTIMS

Lake of the Woods District Hospital and six other Ontario hospitals
are piloting a project to provide care and support for those who
believe they were drugged and sexually assaulted.

Lake of the Woods District Hospital and six other Ontario hospitals
are piloting a project to provide care and support for those who
believe they were drugged and sexually assaulted.

The hospital has had a sexual assault and domestic violence care
centre for 10 years. But this one-year pilot project paid for by the
Ontario Women's Health Council intends to find the best approach on
how to care for drugged and violated individuals.

"Often times these people can't remember," Kathleen Fitzgerald,
co-ordinator of the hospital's sexual assault care centre, said. "We
try to help the person understand what may or may not have happened."

The centre takes a urine sample and a swab from the effected orifice.
This is then sent to an independent laboratory for analysis, which can
find trace amounts of drugs and reports either a positive or negative
find to the care centre; it does not indicate concentrations. The
presence of male DNA is also sought.

Meanwhile, a forensic kit is used to collect medical evidence from the
client's body and clothing to assist legal proceedings, should there
be any. But the clinic holds the kit until results are back and the
client decides on his or her actions.

Fitzgerald said people are reluctant to talk to police when they are
unsure of what transpired.

"This (testing) helps a person from an emotional and psychological
point of view. It lets them know, 'OK this did happen'."

If the results indicate a drug's presence, the individual decides if
she or he wants the police involved. If yes, the police are called and
the evidence kit is supplied.

Prior to this project, the hospital's lab could only detect drugs
within six to eight hours after the event. The independent lab is able
to find trace elements and has a timeframe of about 72 hours.

Date rape drugs, as they're commonly called, include Rohypnol and
other nefarious pills, powders and liquids. Rohypnol, or "roofies",
emerged in Florida in 1993 and rapists have since used it to complete
their heinous activity.

Fitzgerald said most women who visit the centre are victims of
involuntary alcohol intake. But past cases raised suspicions of drug
involvement but testing could not confirm or deny it, Fitzgerald said.

The Kenora Police recorded 12 sexual assaults in 2004 and 12, to date,
in 2005.

Kenora was chosen along with some southern hospitals to provide fair
representation since it's northern and relatively remote.

Seven clinics are part of the project because it allows for easier
adjustments and adjudication of the program. There are 34 sexual
assault clinics operating in Ontario hospitals.

"We're hopeful the protocol will be used province wide to help,"
Fitzgerald said.