Mary Washington Healthcare Gets Grant For Crime Victim Services

FREDERICKSBURG, VA — Mary Washington Healthcare received a two-year grant totaling more than $167,000 to expand the forensics department at its Mary Washington Hospital in Fredericksburg. The grant award, a Victim of Crime Act/Victim Services Grant, was provided through the Virginia Department of Criminal Justice Services and included both federal and state funds.

The Mary Washington Hospital Forensic Services Department serves victims in cases of domestic violence, sexual assault, child abuse or neglect, and human trafficking. Mary Washington Hospital is one of 16 hospital in Virginia that provides forensic nursing services for assault victims. The Victim of Crime Act/Victim Services grant award will expand the clinical team from six to seven forensic nurse examiners and provide additional support staff and exam equipment, according to Mary Washington Healthcare.

"We have seen an increasing number of complex assault cases, and this grant allows us to provide a vital community resource which ensures patients impacted by violence and abuse receive the specialized care they deserve," Eileen Dohmann, senior vice president and chief nursing officer at Mary Washington Healthcare, said in a statement. "Adding a new forensic nurse examiner, supporting staff, digital equipment and the expansion to 24/7 care for crime victims in the region, eliminates the need for victims to travel 50 or more miles out of the area for these services at such a critical time."

Forensic nurse examiners are specially trained to care for patients of all ages who have experienced violence, providing medical assessment and care as needed, including forensic exams of patients.

Through partnerships with local, county and state organizations, victims of violence receive information and resources for victim advocacy, counseling, and safety and harm-reduction services. As a result of this grant, Mary Washington Healthcare said it will provide victims of violence in the region between Washington, D.C., and Richmond, Va., with expanded access to treatment, care and supportive healing.

Mary Washington Healthcare is a not-for-profit regional medical system that provides inpatient and outpatient care at more than 50 facilities, including the Mary Washington Hospice. It is the parent company of Mary Washington Hospital, a 451-bed regional medical center in Fredericksburg, and Stafford Hospital, a 100-bed community hospital.