Rape victims get assistance with medicine, follow-up treatment

Two area nonprofit organizations have joined forces to help women who might have been exposed to HIV.

Careteam, a group that serves people and families affected by HIV/AIDS in Horry, Georgetown and Williamsburg counties, and the Rape Crisis Center are helping women who have been victims of sexual abuse by providing them with the medication that could help prevent HIV.

Officials say most women's insurance does not cover the cost of these medicines or the women cannot afford the prophylactic drugs used to stop the HIV infection.

Women will be able to get the medication and support they need when taking the drugs through Careteam, officials said.

"One of the issues with rape victims who don't know their assailants is that they are at high risk of exposure to HIV," said Johanna Haynes, Careteam's executive director. "The medication is not easy to take, and it is not affordable for women. You have women walk out with the prescription, but never get it filled."

Federal and other grants Careteam receives do not cover the cost of the drugs, which is $1,200 for 28 days' worth, Haynes said.

Money from fundraisers is used to purchase the medicine, she said.

Joyce Hart, Rape Crisis Center's director, said one requirement the Centers for Disease Control set is that those who receive the drugs must have been victims of stranger rape.

In Horry and Georgetown counties, 246 people, mostly women, have been sexually victimized by strangers in the past three years, compared to 898 people in the same time frame who knew their attackers, the Rape Crisis Center said.

"We don't have that many stranger rapes, but still, those women have a right to receive treatment," Hart said. "We know HIV is nothing to take lightly. With Careteam doing it, women are not just getting [the medication], but follow-up care as well."

The medications can have powerful side effects, Haynes said, so it's important for these women to have the support Careteam provides, including follow-up testing to make sure the virus doesn't take hold.

Careteam has assisted three women since the partnership formed six weeks ago, and purchases the medication for two of those women, officials said.