Philadelphia Sexual Assault Response Center
The Philadelphia Sexual Assault Response Center (PSARC) was established in 2011 to meet the forensic and medical needs of sexual assault victims who are 16 years of age and older. PSARC is a private, not-for-profit center whose mission is to provide expertise in the assessment and evaluation of sexual assault victims in Philadelphia. All services are provided in a private, medical office setting located adjacent to the Special Victims Unit of the Philadelphia Police Department. This unique setting allows for private, confidential, victim-centered care.
The center is staffed 24/7, by on-call, specially trained and experienced Sexual Assault Nurse Examiners (SANE) who provide forensic rape examinations and evidence collection to both females and males. Our staff are all highly-trained and compassionate nurses with years of experience in the care of sexually assaulted patients.
PSARC works closely with the Philadelphia Police Department's Special Victims Unit, the Philadelphia District Attorney's Office, Philadelphia Center Against Sexual Violence (formerly Women Organized Against Rape or WOAR), and the Philadelphia Sexual Assault Advisory Committee to provide a survivor-centered approach to sexual assault.
We care for victims regardless of their cooperation with law enforcement. Accompaniment services, if desired, are provided by Philadelphia Center Against Sexual Violence.
Services provided at PSARC include:
- Forensic medical evaluation
- Injury documentation
- Forensic photography
- Pregnancy prevention
- Sexually transmitted infection prevention
- HIV prevention
- Follow-up care
- Court testimony
- Victim advocacy linkage
Faculty
Allison Denman MS, BSN, RN, SANE-A (ald376@drexel.edu) is the clinical director and nurse manager of the Philadelphia Sexual Assault Response Center. Denman is a board-certified forensic nurse examiner who is passionate about evidence-based practice, accessible and inclusive community outreach, and creative collaboration for sexual assault response resources.
Richard Hamilton, MD, FAAEM, FACEP, FACMT, is the Medical Director for the Philadelphia Sexual Response Center. He is board certified in emergency medicine and medical toxicology. Hamilton has been involved with PSARC since 2011 and has also served as the Chair of Emergency Medicine at Drexel University.
Michael J. Boyle (mjb442@drexel.edu) is a 30-year veteran of the Philadelphia Police Department, having spent 25 years in the Detective Bureau and 20 years with the Special Victims Unit (SVU). He retired from the Philadelphia Police Department as a lieutenant in charge of the child abuse section of the SVU. He has personally overseen and supervised thousands of sexual assault investigations and was instrumental in developing a collaborative relationship between police and advocacy groups, including Women Organized Against Rape, the Women's Law Project and the Philadelphia Children's Alliance. He graduated from Hahnemann Medical College, School of Allied Health Professions with a Bachelor of Science degree in mental health technology in 1974.
Boyle joined the PSARC in 2011 and serves as the center's project director. In this capacity, he has helped to guide the development of PSARC and fostered more effective treatment protocols for victims, while improving relationships between police, prosecutors and victims.
He has guest lectured on the topic of sexual violence and child abuse at a number of colleges and institutions, including St. Joseph's University, LaSalle University, Temple University, Drexel University, University of Pennsylvania, as well as various police and prosecutor agencies.