Citing the recent decision of the Adirondack Health Institute to stop providing victim support to adult survivors of sexual assault in Washington County, Wellspring in Saratoga Springs said it is expanding its comprehensive sexual assault victim services to assist these individuals.
Wellspring is providing services to adult survivors of sexual assault in Washington County, including a 24-hour hotline, accompaniment to Glens Falls Hospital for support in sexual assault forensic exams, assistance in completing applications for victim compensation from the state Office of Victim Services, follow-up counseling and case management, and legal advocacy such as court accompaniment.
Noting the importance of providing comprehensive care in helping survivors of sexual assault, Wellspring Executive Director Maggie Fronk said, “Wellspring is fully committed to not only providing an immediate response to a critical need, but will actively seek funds to provide a comprehensive response to address sexual assault in Washington County.”
Fronk noted that right now Wellspring’s primary focus is insuring that victims know who to contact for support and community providers have the information to make referrals.
“The Adirondack Health Institute and Wellspring have worked collaboratively to ensure that sexual assault victims will not have any gap in service,” she said.
Anyone requiring assistance can call Wellspring’s 24-hour hotline at 584-8188 for 24/7 crisis or support services.
Wellspring provides crisis intervention via hotline and emergency shelter, counseling, legal advocacy, comprehensive case management, support groups, and other services to over 1,000 victims of domestic violence and sexual assault in Saratoga County each year, said Fronk.
Additionally, Wellspring believes the best treatment is prevention, and therefore offers numerous community outreach, prevention, and issue awareness programs for schools, community and professional groups, and businesses alike. All services are confidential and free of charge.
According to Fronk, each year, Wellspring crisis intervention and survivor services support more than 1,000 clients, providing safe housing to adults and children either fleeing or homeless because of domestic violence, as well as comprehensive support in the form of counseling, legal advocacy, and case management.
“While helping victims in need is a core focus of the agency’s mission, we know that by increasing awareness we can end intimate partner violence,” she said.
Staff provides prevention and education programs to school-aged youth, as well as training and education programs for parents, faith based congregations, and professional organizations.