April is Sexual Assault Awareness Month, making it a good time to share the news of an expanding program that helps victims of sexual assault being further victimized by the risk of HIV.
Partnering With South Carolina & the Horry County Community to Support Survivors
South Carolina Attorney General, Alan Wilson, and The Department of Crime Victim Compensation (DCVC) have partnered with the team at Careteam Plus along with Avita Pharmacy, LabCorp, and the Rape Crisis Center in Horry County to expand the program.
The new program initiative includes Careteam Plus as a provider so we can offer victims of sexual assault nPEP, an HIV-preventative medication. This potentially life-saving medication can cost as much as $3000 but we can now offer nPEP at NO COST even if the patient does not have insurance.
“We’re going to get you in and get evaluated and get the service that you need and you’ll get that service whether you have insurance or not.”
– Johanna Haynes, Careteam Plus CEO
SC Attorney General Names Careteam Plus an Official Provider in the Program
On April 12th, we hosted a press conference here at Careteam Plus to promote the new program that is expected to expand across the state and, ideally, the rest of the country. South Carolina is the first state – and Horry County only the 3rd county in SC – to offer this level of service to victims of sexual assault who are at risk for contracting HIV.
“If you or someone you know is the victim of a sexual assault, please remember treatment is available without going to an ER or filing a report with the police department.”
– Johanna Haynes, Careteam Plus CEO
Gail Washington, Quality Assurance Manager at the DCVC, spearheaded the project and gave a passionate speech about the program along with Attorney General Alan Wilson,
“Imagine the horror of already being a victim of sexual assault and then having to worry about whether you might have contracted a deadly disease because of that assault. This program provides life-saving treatment to prevent that, which keeps survivors from being further victimized.”
– Alan Wilson, SC Attorney General
To Our Sponsors & Partners Supporting This Program & Sexual Assault Survivors
Thank you again to Attorney General Wilson and the Department of Crime Victims Compensation led by Ms. Gail Washington. And many thanks to our continued partnership with Joyce Hart and her staff at the Rape Crisis Center!
We appreciate everyone who helped put this press conference together and all the press who came out to hear more about this program!
We are proud to help victims of sexual assault avoid further victimization so they can begin to heal as survivors.
View all the photos from the press conference.
A Special Thanks to Local Businesses Who Provided the Food for the Press Conference!
A special thanks to Michael and Meghan Daugherty, owners of Rotelli’s Pizza and Pasta, who donated all the hot & cold hors d’oeuvres so we could continue this important conversation after the press conference over delicious food! They came with homemade dishes including hummus, pita chips, mozzarella & tomatoes on skewers.
Thank you to Food Lion and Lowe’s Foods for generously providing gift cards which sponsored our drinks, fruit platters, and cheese/meat/cracker platters.
For more information about nPEP and the new program details, contact us at (843)234-0005 or [email protected].
