Medical Resources

You have options if you wish to seek medical help after sexualized violence.

You may choose to access any of the following types of medical care:

• Hospital services, including medical care, testing for pregnancy and sexually transmitted infections (STIs), and if you wish, forensic evidence collection – available 24/7
• UBC Student Health Services, including medical care and testing for pregnancy and STIs – open Monday to Friday 8:00 am – 4:00 pm
• Family doctor/GP services, including medical care and testing for pregnancy and STIs – usually open business days and hours
• Walk-in clinic services, including medical care and testing for pregnancy and STIs – business hours, often with some evening and weekend availability

---

It’s your choice whether to go to the hospital. We are here to help, whatever you decide.

Call us at 604-822-1588 (Mon to Fri, 8:30am-4:30pm) for support.

---

Before you go to the hospital

If you have been sexually assaulted and decide to go to the hospital, you do not have to go alone. Ask someone you trust to go with you and call us at 604-822-1588. We are open on Mon to Fri from 8:30am-4:30pm to get support and explore your options. We can arrange safe transportation and meet you at the hospital. If you are in Okanagan, visit the UBC’s Okanagan Campus Sexual Violence Prevention and Response Office.

At the hospital

When you go to the emergency room, a nurse will ask you questions. Tell them about your health and, if you feel comfortable, let them know you have been sexually assaulted, and ask to see the specialized nurse and/or doctor. Typically, the specialized nurse and/or doctor will arrive within 45 minutes. Accessing the Sexual Assault Service at a hospital in BC is free for everyone.

Once they arrive they will explain your medical options. You have the right to choose, including which services you wish to receive or not receive. They will support your choices, regardless of what you decide.

Remember, you have the right to say “no” or change your mind at any time.

Medical Care

With your consent, the specialized nurse and/or doctor can examine you from “head-to-toe”. They will:

• treat your injuries
• offer emergency contraception sometimes referred to as “Plan B” or the “morning after pill”
• offer medications to prevent sexually transmitted infections.

They may recommend that you seek further medical treatment, depending on your medical needs.

Forensic Evidence Collection

Whether or not you decide to make a police report, the specialized nurse and/or doctor can document your injuries in a medical-legal report and collect forensic evidence. This gives you the option to make a report in the future.
With your consent, they will:

• take blood and urine samples
• take swabs from various parts of your body
• photograph your injuries and clothing as evidence

They will give the evidence to the police. If there is a trial, they can also testify in court as an “expert witness”.

Store Forensic Evidence

You can choose to store the collected forensic evidence even if you do not make a police report. The hospital will store the evidence for one year, so you have time to decide. If you decide to make a police report within a year, the specialized nurse and/or doctor will give the evidence to the police. If there is a trial they can also testify in court as an “expert witness”.

After the hospital

A counsellor at the hospital will call you within a week. The counsellor will recommend follow-up medical treatment and refer you to campus and community resources, including our office. Call us at 604-822-1588. We are open on Mon to Fri from 8:30am-4:30pm to get support and explore your options.

If you are not sure what to do

Call us at 604-822-1588 (Mon to Fri, 8:30am-4:30pm) to explore your options.

Additional medical supports

Family doctor/GP

If you have a family Doctor/GP (General Practitioner), you may wish to make an appointment to see them. They cannot provide forensic evidence collection, but they can provide medical care, including:

• Treating injuries
• Testing for pregnancy and referring you for other testing such as for STIs
• Providing prescriptions for medications, including emergency contraceptives (often called “Plan B” or the “morning after pill”) and STI prevention and treatment
• Referring you to additional medical resources including specialists as needed

Usually, if your doctor orders blood, urine, or other types of testing, they will give you a requisition form for the tests, and you will need to go to a lab to have the tests done. The form will include information about lab locations around Vancouver. You can find out more about laboratory testing services, including directions for walking in or making an appointment at Life Labs.

UBC Student Health Services

If you don’t have a family Doctor/GP or if you wish to access medical services on campus or from a different doctor, you can make an appointment with UBC Student Health Services. They offer the same services as a family Doctor/GP, so they cannot provide forensic evidence collection, but they can provide medical care, including:

• Treating injuries
• Testing for pregnancy and referring you for other testing such as for STIs
• Providing prescriptions for medications, including emergency contraceptives (often called “Plan B” or the “morning after pill”) and related to STI prevention and treatment
• Referring you to additional medical resources including specialists as needed

Usually, if you need blood, urine, or other types of testing, they will give you a requisition form for the tests, and you will need to go to a lab to have the tests done. The form will include information about lab locations around Vancouver. You can find out more about laboratory testing services, including directions for walking in or making an appointment at Life Labs.

Walk-in clinic

Walk-in clinics offer appointments with GPs (General Practitioner doctors) on a walk-in basis, with no appointment required. However, that often means there is a wait to see a doctor, sometimes a few hours. Walk-in clinics are located in many places on and off campus and many offer some evening and weekend hours. They cannot provide forensic evidence collection, but they can provide medical care, including:

• Treating injuries
• Testing for pregnancy and referring you for other testing such as for STIs
• Providing prescriptions for medications, including emergency contraceptives (often called “Plan B” or the “morning after pill”) and related to STI prevention and treatment
• Referring you to additional medical resources including specialists as needed

Usually, if the doctor orders blood, urine, or other types of testing, they will give you a requisition form for the tests, and you will need to go to a lab to have the tests done. The form will include information about lab locations around Vancouver. You can find out more about laboratory testing services, including directions for walking in or making an appointment at Life Labs.

Paying for medical services

All of the basic services provided by BC hospitals, doctors, and clinics are free of charge for those covered under BC’s Medical Services Plan (MSP) or similar coverage from another Canadian province. All Sexual Assault Services at Hospitals are free of charge for everyone.

Some services, including receiving prescription medication or medical aids such as crutches, may have associated fees. Some of those costs may be covered by the AMS/GSS Health & Dental Plan or other private insurance. At UBC, international students who are not yet covered by BC MSP have coverage under iMED, a private insurance arranged through UBC, or their own private insurance. Learn more about health care coverage for international students.

An SVPRO Support Specialist can help you identify sources of funding for medical care costs. Connect with us at 604-822-1588 or by email to svpro.vancouver@ubc.ca.

Private insurance and confidentiality

When medical services are paid for by any private insurance and/or extended benefit plan, it is standard to provide the patient and policyholder with an itemized invoice listing services provided. This means that if someone else, such as a parent/guardian or spouse, is the policyholder for your medical insurance, they may receive an invoice listing the medical services provided to you from the insurance company.

For support related to maintaining medical privacy, connect with us at 604-822-1588 or by email to svpro.vancouver@ubc.ca.