County proclaims Sexual Assault Awareness Month; local advocate outlines services and gaps in SANE coverage
Des Moines County adopted a proclamation for Sexual Assault Awareness Month. Brianne Hellmers of DVIP/RBAP described services (three shelters, 24/7 hotline), said the agency served 28 sexual-assault clients last fiscal year and provided 543 service contacts, and urged the board to consider funding and referrals; she also noted the county lacks local SANE nurses so victims currently travel to Iowa City for exams.
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The Des Moines County Board of Supervisors adopted a proclamation recognizing April 2026 as Sexual Assault Awareness Month and invited community groups to join awareness events. After the proclamation, Brianne Hellmers, stewardship coordinator for DVIP/RBAP, told the board the local domestic-violence intervention and victim-advocacy organization provides peer support, counseling, youth services and three emergency shelters (one in Burlington) and is the only shelter in Iowa that provides emergency pet sheltering.
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