Victim advocates at Naval Hospital Bremerton are making sure as many staff members and beneficiaries as possible understand April is Sexual Assault Awareness and Prevention Month (SAAPM).

Hospital Corpsman 2nd Class Mary Neff made it a point to share the SAAPM 2016 Theme of "Eliminate Sexual Assault: Know your part, do your part."

As one of NHB's Sexual Assault Prevention and Response (SAPR) victim advocates, Neff assisted in manning the command's SAAPM informational table by the Terrace Dining Facility during peak lunch time. As people passed the static display, Neff and other victim advocates took turns conversing with them on their awareness of sexual assault uncomfortable realities and getting them to involved by signing the "We Have the Watch" petition poster to show support by being an active bystander for the stated mission goal of the victim advocates to eradicate sexual assault from the community.

"Doing this is one of the reasons why I became a victim advocate," said Neff, currently assigned to NHB's Staff Education and Training Department. "I want to not only support any victim in need, but also get the word out to help eliminate sexual assault. A big part of what I do as a corpsman is helping others and being a victim advocate is something that is very personal for me in being able to do just that."

For Hospitalman Emily Clement, manning the information table was the same as volunteering to become a victim advocate; it was an automatic decision.

"I like to help others, especially those in time of need and why I'm a hospital corpsman," said Clement, a Massachusetts native who has been a victim advocate for over a year. "That's what I do. By being here as a visual reminder and by reminding everyone who comes by that sexual assault awareness and prevention is not just during the month of April, we're helping to make a difference.

"Monday, April 18, marked a year as a victim advocate and being a victim advocate is very personal for me," Clement added.

Victim advocates such as Hospital Corpsman 2nd Class Nathan Cole are specially trained to assist victims in finding their own route to recovery by advising them on such procedures as reporting options and various resources.

For Cole, handling the role as a victim advocate is a duty that he has continued since being assigned to U.S. Naval Hospital Rota Spain.

"I had a friend who was sexually assaulted," said Cole, NHB's lead victim advocate. "I wanted to help then and still want to help out my peers and Sailors. I want them to know that we're here for them as victim advocates. We hope of course that we never have to be, but 'blue-on-blue' remains a problem and hopefully by continuing to stress the awareness with campaigns like SAAPM, we're helping to eliminate the crime."

According to Cole, there is a lot of awareness at NHB, but what the monthlong campaign really does is help to remind everyone to remain vigilant and not complacent.

"Some have that 'out-of-sight, out-of-mind' thinking when it comes to something like this, which is why being here is important. Plus, it lets others know that we're here to help in any way if someone has a problem. They don't have to hold it in. They have someone to turn to," Cole said.

Neff, Cole and Clement and 14 others make up the NHB victim advocate roster, all of them volunteers to help listen, guide and console a sexual assault victim. The other victim advocates are Mass Communication Specialist 1st Class Gretchen Albrecht, Hospital Corpsman 3rd Class Andrea Arenas, Personnel Specialist 2nd Class Brittany Burke, Hospital Corpsman 3rd Class Michael Burriss, Hospital Corpsman 2nd Class Oswald Cacatian, Hospital Corpsman 2nd Class Matthew Duckworth, Hospitalman Franklin Holder, Logistics Specialist Seaman Emily Jaske, Hospitalman Danyaal Khan, Hospital Corpsman 3rd Class Clifton Lee, Hospital Corpsman 2nd Class James Louck, Chief Personnel Specialist Dawn Molinero, Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Zulema Sotelo, Master-at-Arms 3rd Class Brandon Williams.

"There are not a lot of people who can do what our victim advocates do, and without them our program could not provide the needed support," said Lt. Angela Sadosky, SAPR program coordinator.

Along with the command's victim advocates taking on a proactive, visible role in the SAAPM campaign, NHB has also shared a host of other awareness events throughout the month. The Marquee at the gate entrance has key-note messages, there have been two awareness remembrance runs held, several SAPR training exercises, involvement in Naval Base Kitsap's Victim Advocate Appreciation ceremony held April 11, and SAAPM Challenge event on April 29, a daylong affair effort designed to bring awareness and understanding to sexual assault interveners, victims and survivors through a variety of venues.

Sadosky noted that if and when called upon, victim advocates like Neff and Olson are not there to judge. They are there to help and provide support for someone through the entire process. All receive comprehensive training to immediately provide front-line, deckplate prevention, response, and accountability for the safety, dignity, and well-being of Sailors and Marines.

In a posted Navy Medicine message, Vice Adm. Forrest Faison, Navy surgeon general shared that, "We must recognize our role and help our shipmates and colleagues. Know your part in sexual assault prevention: know when and where to intervene. Take action, and when necessary, get others to help. Become an active bystander and do your part in preventing sexual assault."

The Navy Sexual Assault Prevention and Response (SAPR) Program mission is to prevent and respond to sexual assault, eliminating it through a balanced of focused education, comprehensive response, compassionate advocacy, and just adjudication in order to promote professionalism, respect, and trust, while preserving Navy mission readiness.

For more news from Naval Hospital Bremerton, visit www.navy.mil/.