Emergency Care for Sexual Assault
After a sexual assault, a survivor may choose to go to the emergency room for medical care. The nearest emergency room to the Evanston campus is (847-570-2111) located at 2650 Ridge Avenue near the Central Purple Line stop. The nearest emergency room to the Chicago campus is (312-926-2000) located at 251 E Huron Street.
At the emergency room, doctors and nurses can treat injuries, test for and prevent sexually transmitted infections (STIs) and pregnancy, and facilitate evidence collection (sometimes called a 'rape kit').
If the survivor chooses not to go to the emergency room, they may still consider seeing a private doctor or a clinician at the Student Health Service to treat injuries, test for STIs and pregnancy, and obtain emergency contraception. Please note that evidence collection is only available in the emergency room.
Emergency contraception can also be obtained over the counter without a prescription. For more information, please visit our page on emergency contraception.
Getting to the ER
Any student requiring emergency medical transport for a serious medical condition can call 911.
Before Going to the ER
If the survivor is interested in an evidence collection kit in the immediate aftermath of an assault, potential evidence will be best preserved if the survivor avoids showering, bathing, going to the bathroom, douching, brushing their teeth, or changing their clothes or bedding (if relevant) before going to the hospital. If the survivor does take off the clothes they were wearing during the assault, evidence will be best preserved if they avoid washing the clothes and bring them to the hospital for inclusion in the kit.
What Will Happen at the ER
When a sexual assault survivor arrives to the hospital, hospital staff will call an who is specially trained to support survivors seeki