For more than 150 years, Alameda Health System (AHS) has been committed to the health and well-being of our patients and underserved community. Not only does AHS open its doors to the most vulnerable patients, but our efforts to support a healthier community extend far beyond the walls of our hospitals and wellness centers. By being deeply engaged with the community we serve, AHS helps make it a healthier and more equitable place for everyone to live, learn, work, and thrive.

For more than 38 years Sexual Assault Response and Recovery Team (SARRT) has been one of AHS’s committed programs that serves one of Alameda County’s most vulnerable populations. SARRT is a hospital-based Rape Crisis Center based out of Wilma Chan Highland Hospital Campus (WCHHC). SARRT is committed to providing the highest quality care to communities it serves. SARRT provides essential services to the most vulnerable members of an already extremely vulnerable population AHS serves. SARRT commits to reducing and ultimately eliminating health disparities and addressing social determinants that adversely impact the health of all survivors. Oakland is a hub for sex trafficking and the clients SARRT serves are part of an organized system that trafficking victims from Las Vegas to Oakland and back again as sex slaves forced to work on International Boulevard and the streets of Oakland. The specialized advocacy services SARRT provides are the only chance for intervention, counseling, and support many of them will receive.

SARRT is the only dual sexual assault and domestic violence hospital-based program in the state of California. We are a 24-hour, 7 days a week program that responds at bedside within 30 minutes to identified victims anywhere within Highland Hospital. We provide 24-hour confidential crisis line services, medical and law enforcement accompaniment, 24-hour bedside accompaniment during the Sexual Assault Forensic Exam (SAFE), and support to set up resources for vulnerable populations. We provide in-person crisis counseling, crisis intervention, emergency safe housing, safety planning, in-person support groups, immigration assistance, case management, community education, and 65-hour volunteer training. SART is a part of an interdisciplinary teams who promotes safety and trauma informed services to meet survivors of sexual assault, domestic violence, and human trafficking immediate needs. Further, as part of our confidential crisis line service, we provide a 24-hour response to anyone in need of crisis response. This crisis line service is linked to the national hotline service RAINN, and anyone calling that service with a 510-area code, or in need of survivor support in the Bay Area is connected to our program. Finally, we provide support to inmates through the PREA line located within the local jail.