Cold Case Kansas: A Social Detective Podcast · Cold Case Kansas: A Social Detective Podcast

Sexual Assault Awareness Month

·55 min·30 clips

April opens the door. The episode is built around Sexual Assault Awareness Month and the people who help survivors get through one of the hardest appointments they may ever face. The survivor stays at the center of every decision. Advocates explain that they can stay in the room or wait outside, depending on what the person wants. When they are present, they keep to the side, near the shoulders, and try to be a steady presence while the nurse does the exam. They do not jump ahead of the evidence process. Before offering a snack or a drink, they check with the nurse so they do not interfere with swabs or documentation. Small comforts carry a lot of weight. The episode walks through the little tools that help people stay grounded, including music, journals, doodles, and fidget toys. Blankets matter too. The advocates know where the warm blankets are and can bring them quickly if someone feels cold. The care does not stop with one room. They also keep clothing, shoes, socks, snacks, and drinks on hand at the hospital for survivors from infancy through adulthood, for both women and men. The episode makes that clear. It is about practical support as much as empathy. Then the conversation turns to Hope Medical, a more private center that Tina Pack helped start after serving as a SANE nurse. That space sits by Intrust Bank Arena and gives survivors another option that feels less public and less exposed. The partnership with the podcast is not treated as a one-time visit. The guests want it to continue, with more topics and more direct conversations about sexual violence. The episode also points listeners toward Take Back the Night the next day. Its theme, 'Still Not Asking for It,' keeps the message blunt and visible. Silence comes up as the thing they are pushing against. The closing idea is that sexual violence thrives when people stay quiet, and that speaking up is part of how communities push back. The whole thing stays human. It ends with advocates, nurses, and survivors trying to move through a brutal process with as much dignity and care as possible.

As heard by us

A survivor-centered look at support that stays practical, plainspoken, and human.

April is Sexual Assault Awareness Month, and this episode centers the careful, hands-on work behind supporting survivors during forensic exams.

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Why you'd press play

You want a survivor-centered episode that focuses on what support actually feels like.

Read the full recommendation in PlayNext →

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