Blooming Hope: One Year Later, Expanding What Survivors Deserve

She knew something had happened.

After going to a party and meeting someone she did not know, parts of the night disappeared. What she felt afterward made it clear that something was wrong. She sought medical care and completed a Sexual Assault Nurse Examiner (SANE) exam—an important step that provided both clarity and care.

But when the exam was over, she was left with a question many survivors face: What happens next?

She was told she would need to file a police report separately, during normal business hours. There was no immediate pathway connecting her medical care to reporting, legal support, or advocacy. Instead, she was left to navigate multiple systems on her own, at a time when support should have been most accessible.

Her experience is not unique. It reflects a broader structural gap in how communities respond to sexual violence.

April is Sexual Assault Awareness Month, and it offers an opportunity to examine not only the prevalence of sexual violence, but the systems designed to respond to it. At the Rose Andom Center (RAC), we see every day that access to services alone is not enough. Survivors need systems that are coordinated, equitable, and responsive to the realities of trauma.

The Rose Andom Center was built to address fragmentation. By co-locating law enforcement, prosecutors, advocates, and community partners, RAC reduces the burden on survivors who would otherwise have to navigate these systems independently. This model recognizes that when services are disconnected, the responsibility shifts onto survivors—often at the expense of their safety, well-being, and ability to move forward.

In April 2025, RAC expanded services to more intentionally support sexual assault survivors. One year later, that expansion has underscored both progress and persistent gaps—particularly in how medical care connects to next steps.

Access to SANE exams remains inconsistent, and even when survivors receive care, that care is often not integrated with reporting, legal services, or advocacy. Each additional step requires survivors to re-engage, retell their story, and navigate systems that were not designed to work together.

This is not just a service gap. It is an equity issue.

Survivors who face language barriers, immigration concerns, economic instability, or systemic distrust are disproportionately impacted by fragmented systems. When services are not coordinated, these inequities are compounded, limiting access to justice and support.

At the same time, the organizations working to fill these gaps are facing increasing instability. Federal programs such as the Victims of Crime Act (VOCA) and the Violence Against Women Act (VAWA) were established to fund critical services, including advocacy, counseling, and medical care. Recent reductions in VOCA funding and delays in federal grant cycles have created uncertainty nationwide, making it more difficult to sustain and expand coordinated, survivor-centered models.

Despite these challenges, there is a clear path forward.

Expanding on-site health clinic services at RAC presents an opportunity to create a more integrated response. In a fully coordinated model, a survivor could receive a SANE exam, connect with an advocate, file a police report with the Sex Crimes Unit, access legal support, and complete a Crime Victim Compensation application—all in one location, with continuity of care.

This approach is not only more effective—it is more equitable. It reduces barriers, minimizes retraumatization, and centers survivor choice.

On April 18, the Rose Andom Center will host the Blooming Hope Sexual Assault Awareness Brunch at the History Colorado Center. This event is an opportunity to invest in this vision and support the expansion of services that move us closer to a truly coordinated response.

Blooming Hope is not simply about raising funds. It is about strengthening systems. It is about ensuring that when survivors seek help, they are met with a response that is seamless, supportive, and grounded in equity.

There are many ways to take action this April. Attend Blooming Hope. Support organizations advancing coordinated care. Advocate for policies and funding that prioritize survivor-centered systems. Help shift the conversation from awareness alone to action.

Because survivors should not have to navigate complexity to access care.

They should be met with systems that are designed to support them—fully, equitably, and without unnecessary barriers.

And that is how meaningful change takes root.