We as a community are not discussing the rates and impact of sexual assault in Utah as frequently as necessary.

Why would we say this? 

Because it seems providing a specific location for sexual assault exams to victims from Weber, Davis, Morgan and Box Elder counties is an expendable service when it comes to cost-cutting measures.

It came to the attention of many South Ogden and Northern Utah residents this week that the Northern Utah Sexual Assault Nurse Examiners’ team (NUSANE) nonprofit of 12 on-call nurses performing sexual assault exams in the old South Ogden city building would very likely not have a home moving forward because the city has hopes to sell the land due to maintenance costs and are eager to make a profit. 

And where is NUSANE supposed to go? 

Seems South Ogden feels it’s not its problem anymore.

The city has taken care of the nonprofit for 13 years providing $200 monthly rent and feels its time for another city to share the burden. We acknowledge that South Ogden has done what no other city in Utah has thus far in providing space for a very necessary operation to help the growing population of victims. In fact, think of the scale of help that could be carried out if every city in Utah had such a partnership. If our public servants were serious about sexual assault, they would be doing more given how Utah’s rates of sexual assault surpass national averages.

One in three Utah women will experience some sort of sexual violence during their lifetime. As of 2015, Utah was ninth in the nation for reported rape. One in eight women and one in 50 men in Utah will experience rape.

One in eight women. 

But, the severity of being among one of the worst 10 states in the nation for rape seems to not alarm our state and overwhelmingly male public servants. 

But after doing so much good, it’s more than disappointing to see how quickly the city is ready to punt the problem to anyone else. They hate to see the demise of such a crucial operation, but they don’t feel bad enough to help them with a future plan. If they believe economics must trump “compassion” then they apparently have not seen the Utah Department of Health’s report on the cost of sexual violence in our state, which is an estimated $4.9 billion in one year — equating to almost $1,700 per Utah resident.

According to NUSANE president and medical director JeanLee Carver, it is the only free-standing rape exam facility in the entire state. In 2018, the volume of victims it has served has doubled compared to previous years.

Our friends, families and neighbors need access to this service more than ever before. 

So, if South Ogden will no longer accommodate this essential service, we call upon the creativity and compassion of other cities in Weber and Davis counties to come together to evaluate their spaces or connections so that NUSANE can find a more permanent path forward. If that is not sufficient, then we appeal to government agencies and businesses who will shoulder the returning burden of thousands of dollars each year NUSANE saves them.

Our community needs their services. We will all suffer should they cease their operations due to having nowhere to go.