Christine Fowley Honored for Work with Rape Crisis Program by the NYC Alliance Against Sexual Abuse
02/12/2008
Contact: Mary Mooney
212-604-2675
New York, NY, January 21 - Christine Fowley, the director of the rape Crisis Program at St. Vincent's Hospital Manhattan and founder of one of the country's first domestic violence shelters, was recently honored by the New York City Alliance Against Sexual Assault for her work on behalf of victims of sexual violence.
Ms. Fowley, who has overseen the Rape Crisis Program since 1998, was one of the first recipients of the Lydia Martinez Collaboration Awards, recognizing the efforts of individuals from 'sectors involved in the acute-care response to sexual assault.' Prior to St. Vincent's, Ms. Fowley founded the HIV Training Institute at the NYC Department of Health and Mental Hygiene.
She also worked for Victims Services for courthouses in the Bronx, was the victims services coordinator at Pittsburgh Action Against Rape, and founded the Women's Center and Shelter of Greater Pittsburgh, recognized as one of the first shelters for victims of domestic violence in the United States.
'Survivors of rape and sexual assault must endure suffering beyond the experience of a vile and heinous attack. They should know that there are people, like those at St. Vincent's Rape Crisis Program, who are dedicated to helping them recover,' said Ms. Fowley. 'This award is less about the individual recipient and more about the team they work with. I am proud of my colleagues and our peers in acute care, law enforcement, government and social services for the work that we do. To us, ‘compassionate care' is more than just a slogan - it is what we do, day in and day out, for the survivors of these terrible crimes.'
Other honorees included members and staff from the NYC Fire Department, the Bronx District Attorney's office, the NYC Office of the Medical Examiner, the NYC Police Department, and Jacobi Hospital. Awardees were nominated by their peers, including rape crisis professionals, prosecutors, forensic specialists, and police special victims detectives. The awards were presented during a ceremony hosted by the Criminal Justice Collaboration Project, held in December at Pace University in Lower Manhattan.
About the Rape Crisis Program at St. Vincent's Hospital Manhattan
In operation since 1977, this program was instituted in cooperation with the hospital's departments of psychiatry, obstetrics and gynecology, nursing and emergency services. It was established to ensure that skilled, sensitive medical attention is given in the emergency room and clinics to survivors of rape. It also offers short-term counseling and support groups to rape and incest survivors, whether they were attacked recently or years ago. As we have long recognized the importance of changing the conditions that lead to rape, the program provides education, outreach and training to professional and lay audiences on issues related to sexual assault. In addition to sensitivity training programs for police and medical and social service agency personnel, staff conduct prevention programs at local junior and senior high schools, colleges, and health fairs. Visit www.svcmc.org/body.cfm?id=1414 to learn more.
About the New York City Alliance Against Sexual Assault
The mission of the New York City Alliance Against Sexual Assault is to develop and advance strategies, policies and responses that prevent sexual violence and limit its destabilizing effects on victims, families and communities. We accomplish this through: 1) research to document the extent of sexual violence in NYC and determine the effectiveness of current intervention and prevention efforts, 2) education about the devastating aftermath of sexual violence and opportunities for its prevention, and 3) advocacy for responsive policy development, practice and legislation with public officials and service providers. Learn more at www.nycagainstrape.org.
About Saint Vincent's
Saint Vincent Catholic Medical Centers (Saint Vincent's) is anchored by St. Vincent's Hospital Manhattan, an academic medical center located in Greenwich Village, St. Vincent's Westchester, a behavioral health hospital in Westchester County, and continuing care services that include two skilled nursing facilities in Brooklyn, another on Staten Island, a hospice, and a home health agency serving the Metropolitan New York area. Its behavioral health services also provide supportive housing programs for people with mental illness throughout the Metropolitan area. Saint Vincent's is the designated provider for the New York and New Jersey region of the US Family Health Plan sponsored by the US Department of Defense.
Saint Vincent's serves as the academic medical center of New York Medical College in New York City. The healthcare organization is sponsored by the Roman Catholic Bishop of Brooklyn and the president of the Sisters of Charity of New York.
