Important Update on Services

During this difficult time, Network of Victim Assistance (NOVA) staff will be working remotely and will continue to serve clients and the community.  For now, direct services and prevention programs will be provided in the following ways.

 Note: If you are in imminent danger or experiencing an emergency, please dial 911

Community Services

• 24-7 Victim Hotline 1-800-675-6900. If you or a family member have been sexually assaulted or you may be the victim of another serious crime, please call and speak to one of our trained staff.


• Sexual Assault Medical Care. NOVA SANEs (Sexual Assault Nurse Examiners) provide forensic medical care to victims of sexual assault in any of the 5 local hospital emergency rooms in Bucks County. If you have been sexually assaulted, please contact the NOVA hotline at 1-800-675-6900 to receive instructions on how to proceed or go to your local emergency department. A SANE will connect their patients with a Victim Advocate by phone from the hospital and with permission from the victim, have a follow-up phone call from a Victim Advocate. Additionally, all victims will be provided with a discharge packet that includes the NOVA hotline number.


• Emergency Victim Advocacy Services. In the event of an emergent crime in our community, such as but not limited to a homicide, Victim Advocates will be available to assist on a case by case basis. Policies beyond NOVA’s control such as a mandatory shutdown will be taken into consideration. Law Enforcement should contact Tarah Sellers, Director of Client Services through the NOVA Hotline at 1-800-675-6900.

NOVA Client Services. For all current NOVA clients, the following services will be provided. Any current client can also access the NOVA hotline at 1-800-675-6900.

• Tele-counseling. NOVA’s specially trained counseling staff will be providing tele-counseling services to current teens and adult client as appropriate. Counselors will be speaking with caregivers of younger child clients on a regular basis to provide support and identify what services may be available through tele-counseling.


• Victim Advocacy. Advocates will continue to work with existing clients addressing stress related to the impact of COVID-19 including but not limited to the postponement of criminal justice proceedings, parole hearings, and providing appropriate referrals for other community services.

NOVA Education and Training Programs. NOVA Prevention Education staff are developing online trainings and webinars that will be available online.

• CSA (Child Sexual Abuse) Stopper Training Sign up now for live online training webinars focused on child sexual abuse prevention. Find the days and times of trainings by visiting https://www.novabucks.org/stopcsa/. This training is directed to parents, grandparents as well as professionals and paraprofessionals who work with children and are concerned about the safety of children. Continuing Education Units (CEU) including Act 48 credits are available.

NOVA’s services are vital to our community and we remain committed to our mission of supporting, counseling and empowering victims of sexual assault and other serious crimes in Bucks County and working to prevent and eliminate violence in society through advocacy, training, community education, and prevention programs.

We will continue to monitor the situation and provide updates as needed. Updates can be found on our website (www.novabucks.org), on our Facebook page (www.facebook.com/nova.bucks/), or by subscribing to our email list (http://bit.ly/2x2QlCS).

Warmly,
Penelope R. Ettinger, Executive Director

Call 1-800-675-6900 to get help 24-hours a day.