Help Yourself
If you believe you have been sexually assaulted, you may find the following steps helpful:
First, remember that what happened to you is not your fault. You did not cause an assault, and you did not deserve it. You have a right to be believed and to receive appropriate medical, emotional, and legal support if you choose such options.
Consider contacting Story County SART or one of its individual agencies. These agencies can provide you with medical attention, emotional support, and law enforcement services and can help you explore your various options.
Story County SART services are available to all survivors of sexual assault ages 13 and older, even if the assault occurred several days, or even years, earlier. Services are free and confidential. Call Sexual Assault Support Services at (515) 29-ALERT (515-292-5378) to learn more about your options.
Get to a safe place.
Do not change anything at the location where the assault occurred.
Do not eat, drink, shower, douche, brush your teeth, go to the bathroom, or change your clothes. These activities could destroy physical evidence that may be helpful if you later decide to pursue legal action.
Even if you don’t want to file a police report, consider receiving medical attention or learning about your reporting options. A SART nurse will help ensure that you are physically healthy, provide options to prevent pregnancy or sexually transmitted infections, and could collect valuable evidence that may be useful in the future, even if you are unsure about pursuing legal action now. Physical evidence can only be collected for a few days after an assault, but a survivor has ten years to decide if she/he wants to pursue a criminal case (or ten years after one’s 18th birthday if the assault took place prior to the survivor turning 18).
If you live in Boone or Greene counties, contact ACCESS to speak with an advocate about your options for reporting or receiving medical treatment in your area. These teams are informal, but all medical and reporting options are still available.
The medical exam and follow up visits are free in Iowa, even if you do not report the assault to the police.
If you aren't interested in reporting or medical attention, ACCESS provides other supportive services to survivors of sexual violence including individual counseling and support groups.
If you want to talk with an advocate about your experience or your options (which include the SART process), call ACCESS at:
Story County - (515) 292-5378
Boone County - (515) 432-3606
Greene County - (515) 386-2780
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If you suspect you may be in an abusive relationship, the following information may be useful:
If you need medical attention or fear for your safety or the safety of others, call 911 for medical attention or law enforcement.
Domestic violence is caused when one person believes they have the right to control and have power over another individual. It is only the responsibility of the abuser and they are the only ones accountable for their behavior. The abuse will only end once the abusive individual takes accountability for the abuse, and makes an active decision to change their behavior to treat others with dignity and respect their autonomy.
For information on keeping yourself safe, see our safety planning page.
Abuse is not only physical, but also includes other aspects such as emotional, verbal, and mental abuse. If you feel unsafe in your relationship in any way, consider speaking with an ACCESS advocate to explore your options for safety within your relationship or when planning to leave a relationship. ACCESS provides many services including emergency shelter, safety planning, individual counseling, legal advocacy, support groups, and referral services.
If you want to talk with an advocate about your experience or your options (including safe, emergency shelter), call ACCESS at:
Story County - (515) 292-5378
Boone County - (515) 432-3606
Greene County - (515) 386-2780