Mercy Introduces bMOREsafe Phone App to Provide Victims of Abuse/Assault with Access to Resources, Medical and Police Assistance and More
Baltimore, MD (PRWEB) October 04, 2013 -- Mercy Medical Center, one of the top 100 hospitals in the U.S., has announced the launch of a new smartphone app, "bMOREsafe," (http://www.bmoresafemercy.org/), designed to provide victims of sexual assault and domestic violence with instant access to a variety of resources, including medical and police assistance, a crisis hotline, and more.
bMOREsafe is funded by Mercy’s Forensic Nursing Program. Mercy is a designated sexual assault and domestic violence center in Baltimore City, with 30 specially trained Forensic Nurse Examiners (FNEs) available 24/7 to care for victims of sexual assault (aged 13 and older), victims of domestic violence, elder/institutional and vulnerable populations abuse, neglect, and maltreatment. The FNE program works collaboratively with criminal justice agencies and other Baltimore agencies addressing the needs of victims of violence.
"The bMOREsafe app can help victims of violence to know what resources are available. It provides information about what one can expect after an incident of abuse or assault; it gives back the power of choice. It’s easy to use with a touch screen question-driven format," said Debra S. Holbrook, RNC, SANE-A, FNE A/P, Coordinator of Mercy’s Sexual Assault Forensic Examination Program.
"The bMOREsafe app is a free download for anyone who wants it and works for both iPhone and Android smartphones. We’ll be promoting it at colleges, high schools and junior high schools across the region, and to health educators; we’ll have information about the app and the website at our booth at every community event we attend and posters will be distributed throughout the city, including college dorms," Holbrook added.
Content for the app will be managed by Mercy’s FNE Program and reviewed and updated every six months. The app also includes a GPS connection to provide directions to Mercy Medical Center.
According to Holbrook, Mercy was the first hospital in Baltimore to offer the Sexual Assault Forensic Examination program, and the first in Maryland to offer both SAFE and the Family Violence Response Program which helps victims of domestic violence access the resources they need to get help.
"SAFE plays a key role in evidence collection which has been of great help to city and state prosecutors in developing their cases against the perpetrators of sexual assault. This new app is another tool we can use to help women, whether they simply have questions about sexual assault or are victims themselves in need of assistance," Holbrook said.
Mercy Medical Center is a 139-year-old, university affiliated medical facility most recently named one of the top 100 hospitals in the U.S. by Thomson-Reuters. Located six blocks north of Baltimore’s Inner Harbor, Mercy is home to the Weinberg Center for Women’s Health and Medicine and the $400+ million Mary Catherine Bunting Center. For more information, visit Mercy online at http://www.mdmercy.com or call 1-800-M.D.-Mercy.
Dan Collins, Mercy Medical Center, http://www.mdmercy.com/, 410-332-9714, [email protected]
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