GINA B. GOOD / PVT The Nye County Sexual Assault Response Team (SART) members are, from left, nurse Mary Ann Dion, from No To Abuse; Bob Beckett, Nye County district attorney; Robyn Shope, No To Abuse program director; Susan Davila, CEO at Desert View Hospital; Nye County Assistant Sheriff Rick Marshall; NYSO Dep. David Boruchowitz; No To Abuse Executive Director Clelia Pinza Garrity; and representing Pahrump Valley Fire-Rescue Service, Lt. Anita Smith and Chase Lairmore. RELATED STORIES • SART eases assault reporting • Evidence can prove -- and disprove -- charges • TV raises expectations Advertisement

After a dozen years of planning and a few hopeful but false starts, Nye County has a Sexual Assault Response Team (SART) and forensic examination facility to be proud of.

Members of the team gathered Tuesday to launch the venture and show the examination room at the clinic located directly across from the emergency room entrance at Desert View Hospital.

There was no bottle of champagne smashed outside the calm clinic waiting room, filled with media from Pahrump and Las Vegas reporting on the opening, but it was evident that members of the team felt a sense of great accomplishment, knowing a new resource for victims of sexual assault is in place.

In thanking the hospital and team members, Clelia Pinza Garrity, executive director of No To Abuse, said, "I have lived all over the world, but never have I worked in a community with a bigger heart."

SART is a partnership between Nevada Outreach Training Organization's No To Abuse, The Nye County Sheriff's and district attorney's offices and the hospital.

There is now a designated examination room at the clinic, donated by the hospital, where forensic examinations can be done by medical personnel trained in sexual assault, using the necessary tools.

The team also includes a victim advocate to help an individual reporting an assault through the processes of dealing with the authorities and all related legal, physical and emotional aspects to deal with the assault.

Although members of SART are experienced in dealing with sexual assault and rape in their various jobs, all completed intensive training at the hospital designed specifically for work with victims of sexual assault.

"This is a major partnership," said Robyn Shope, program manager of No To Abuse. "What we have here at the clinic is a very private and lovely facility for any woman who needs a forensic examination.

"Our job is the safety of the victim. The detectives take care of the (rape) kit; we take care of the patient. They are not alone. We lend our support wherever needed, including through the court system if they need it."

Shope made it clear that the services of No To Abuse are not just for women. "We see children and all people who have been assaulted," she said.

District Attorney Bob Beckett said he is excited about the legal implications of opening the new facility.

"A prosecutor is only as good as his evidence," Beckett explained. "In the past, we've had jurors who wanted to convict, but we couldn't provide evidence to prove guilt beyond a shadow of a doubt.

"This program and this facility will give us a chance to give the jurors the evidence they need to convict."

According to Assistant Sheriff Rick Marshall, the plan for a sexual assault team precedes Sheriff Tony DeMeo's terms of office but is something DeMeo ardently embraces. "The statistics show that reports of sexual assaults are rising," said Marshall.

"There were 11 cases in 2005 and 9 cases in 2006. The number doubled in 2007 to 18 cases and in 2008, there were 23 cases. Those include cases that we call sexual assault or rape cases," Marshall said.

"Our definition of rape includes rape by foreign object," said Marshall. "Now, with the equipment we have received, we will be able to collect the evidence we need."

Marshall explained one of the challenges associated with collecting forensic evidence: "We don't want victims washing themselves, but it's a traumatic thing to have to wait with the evidence still on them. This facility will cut down on the time victims will have to wait. They can see local nurses."

"We have commitment from our partners involved, and we have a tremendous amount of training," said Susan Davila, CEO of Desert View Hospital. "We are very pleased we can do this for our community. People will not have to go over the hill, and they can feel comfortable and private here."