Virginia Law

A. There is hereby created the Task Force on Services for Survivors of Sexual Assault (the Task Force), which shall consist of (i) two members of the House of Delegates appointed by the Speaker of the House of Delegates; (ii) one member of the Senate appointed by the Senate Committee on Rules; (iii) the Attorney General, or his designee; (iv) the Commissioners of Health and Social Services, or their designees; (v) the Director of the Department of State Police; (vi) two representatives of hospitals licensed by the Department of Health appointed by the Governor; (vii) three physicians licensed by the Board of Medicine to practice medicine or osteopathy appointed by the Governor, each of whom is a practitioner of emergency medicine and at least one of whom is a pediatrician; (viii) three nurses licensed to practice in the Commonwealth appointed by the Governor, each of whom is a sexual assault nurse examiner; (ix) two representatives of organizations providing advocacy on behalf of survivors of sexual assault appointed by the Governor; (x) one representative of an organization providing advocacy on behalf of children appointed by the Governor; and (xi) one representative of a forensic clinic appointed by the Governor. The Commissioner of Health or his designee shall serve as chairman of the Task Force. Staff support for the Task Force shall be provided by the Department of Health.

B. The Task Force shall:

1. Develop model treatment and transfer plans for use by transfer hospitals, treatment hospitals, and pediatric health care facilities and work with hospitals and pediatric health care facilities to facilitate the development of treatment and transfer plans in accordance with the requirements of this article;

2. Develop model written transfer agreements for use by treatment hospitals, transfer hospitals, and pediatric health care facilities and work with treatment hospitals, transfer hospitals, and pediatric health care facilities to facilitate the development of transfer agreements in accordance with the requirements of this article;

3. Develop model written agreements for use by treatment hospitals and approved pediatric health care facilities required to enter into agreements with rape crisis centers pursuant to subsection D of § 32.1-162.15:4;

4. Work with treatment hospitals and approved pediatric health care facilities to develop plans to employ or contract with sexual assault forensic examiners to ensure the provision of treatment services to survivors of sexual assault by sexual assault forensic examiners, including plans for implementation of on-call systems to ensure availability of sexual assault forensic examiners;

5. Work with treatment hospitals and approved pediatric health care facilities to identify and recommend processes to ensure compliance with the provisions of this article related to creation, storage, and retention of photographic and other documentation and evidence;

6. Develop and distribute educational materials regarding implementation of the provisions of this article to hospitals, health care providers, rape crisis centers, children's advocacy centers, and others;

7. Study and provide recommendations to the Department for the use of telemedicine in meeting the requirements of this article; and

8. Report to the Governor and the General Assembly by December 1 of each year regarding its activities and the status of implementation of the provisions of this article.

2020, c. 725; 2022, c. 520.