WEEK OF JUNE 27, 2024
VOLUME 36 | ISSUE 26
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Expanding care for victims of sexual assault Nine tips for
first time renters BY LONDON LYLE SPECIAL TO COLORADO COMMUNITY MEDIA
When we saw that rent at our current apartment would go up by several hundred dollars if we re-signed our lease this summer, my roommates and I knew it was time to start searching for a new place to live. We knew what we could afford between the three of us, and that we’d prefer to live in a house over another apartment complex. Renting your first apartment or home can be equal parts exciting and anxiety-inducing. I put together these essential tips from my experience to help you make the best decisions for yourself and the people you live with. 1. Set a realistic budget
Registered Nurses Jenny Sanchez, Amanda Alvarez, and April Vialpando chat in the emergency department at Intermountain COURTESY PHOTO Health Platte Valley Hospital. The hospital is expanding its forensic exam program for sexual assault victims.
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• Vestas to lay off 200 employees
BUSINESS
Intermountain Health Platte Valley grows its SANE program
BY MONTE WHALEY MWHALEY@COLORADOCOMMUNITYMEDIA.COM
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LOCAL OBITUARIES LEGALS CLASSIFIED
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Victims of domestic abuse or sexual assault in Adams County should not have to wait days and face travel to another hospital to get a forensic exam, Intermountain Health Platte Valley Hospital Registered Nurse April Vialpando said. “They have gone through enough,” said Vialpando, coordinator for the Brighton hospital’s Sexual Assault Nurse Examiner (SANE) program. SANE specialists offer customized services for sexual assault and domestic violence victims and gather evidence against
their alleged assailants. “When a patient comes in here it’s our job to believe them and make them feel heard,” Vialpando said. “We want to empower them to move forward,” Vialpando added. She said the hospital now has even more tools to aid victims through an expansion of the SANE program after Adams County awarded Platte Valley a $438,000 grant to grow its forensic exam efforts. Assault victims get treatment for physical injuries, but a forensic exam calls for the gathering of evidence by a specialized caregiver from a suspected assault victim, Vialpando said. The exam includes a detailed history of the assault, a swab for a DNA sample, photographs of any injury, possibly prescribing medication for the victim and working up a safe discharge plan for them, she said. Sometimes hospitals don’t have
a trained clinician available, and it could take hours for one to arrive, Vialpando said. Victims are often sent to a hospital in Denver, Boulder or Aurora for the exam. The wait can be too long for some patients, and they simply skip the exam altogether, she said. “Some patients simply cannot wait,” said Andrea Moore, emergency department director for Platte Valley Hospital. “They have gone through enough already.” Expert training, expert witnesses
Nurses who become qualified forensic examiners go through extensive on-the-ground training. Their expertise is often called upon by police and prosecutors when they pursue cases against alleged assailants. They also can be called expert witnesses in court, Vialpando said.
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Before you start searching for a place to live, figure out how much you can afford to spend on rent. If you have roommates, figure out if you’ll be splitting the cost of rent evenly or not. I chose a smaller bedroom than my roommates and will pay a little less. Creating an itemized budget with some wiggle room can help you avoid financial stress down the line. 2. Gather your work history and credit score
Landlords often require a background check, proof of income and a credit check before approving your rental application. You will likely have to pay for the background and credit checks yourself, which can run you $50$100, so make sure you’re sure you’re really interested in a place before applying. As a freelancer, I submitted all of my recent pay stubs from the past two months and my most recent tax documents. Know your credit score ahead of time and what credit score your prospective landlord wants.
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