News

NYC Health + Hospitals/Bellevue announced today that Jennifer Alves, RN, was honored by the NYC Alliance Against Sexual Assault for her work as a Sexual Assault Forensic Examiner (SAFE) and coordinator of the NYC Health + Hospitals Manhattan Sexual Assault Response (SART) Team, the team of SAFEs that care for sexual assault patients at Bellevue, Harlem and Metropolitan Hospitals.

Alves received the Lydia Martinez Multidisciplinary Collaboration Award during the 11th Annual Celebration of Excellence Award ceremony held virtually this year due to the pandemic. The award was named in honor of NYPD Detective Lydia Martinez, who will forever be remembered for her strength, compassion and advocacy on behalf of survivors of sexual assault. Recipients of this award are recognized for excellent service by their peers who are also involved in the coordinated response efforts against sexual violence in New York City.

Alves was an ED and ICU nurse at Bellevue Hospital from 2010, when she assumed the position of SART Coordinator in September 2018. She has been a SAFE team member since 2012 and continues to provide care to patients that have been sexually assaulted.

“I am humbled to receive this award alongside the amazing professionals honored by the Alliance this year. This award recognizes the importance of the role of SAFEs and I would like to share this honor with the dedicated SAFEs of the Manhattan SART Team,” said Jennifer Alves, RN, Manhattan SART Coordinator for NYC Health + Hospitals.

“Ever since Jen took over the role of the SART Coordinator for the Manhattan H+H, she has been a force to reckon with. She knows exactly what sexual assault survivors need when they come to the ED and she consistently advocates on their behalf. Every opinion she puts forward in meetings, task forces and working groups is well thought out, rational and convincing. She is the one you want to have on your team, the one you want advocating on behalf of survivors. There is no one more deserving than Jen to win this award!” said Sara Zaidi, Interim Executive Director at the New York City Alliance Against Sexual Assault.

William Hicks, Chief Executive Officer of NYC Health + Hospitals/Bellevue said Jennifer is deserving of this award for her commitment as a SAFE and Coordinator of the NYC Health + Hospitals Manhattan SART Team. “I congratulate her on receiving this important award and for the fearless work she does every day to help sexual assault victims.”

Contact: Bellevue Public Relations, NYC Health + Hospitals/Bellevue, 212-562-4516

About NYC Health + Hospitals/Bellevue

NYC Health + Hospitals/Bellevue is America’s oldest public hospital, established in 1736. Affiliated with the NYU School of Medicine, the 844-bed hospital is a major referral center for highly complex cases, with 6,000 employees including highly skilled, interdisciplinary clinical staff. It is a Level 1 Trauma Center and sees more than 110,000 emergency room visits and more than 444,000 outpatient visits annually. Clinical centers of excellence include: Emergency Medicine and Trauma Care; Cardiovascular Services; Bariatric Surgery; Designated Regional Perinatal Center and Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (ICU); Children’s Comprehensive Psychiatric Emergency Program; and Cancer Services. For more information, visit nychealthandhospitals.org/Bellevue or find us on twitter.com/BellevueHosp.

About NYC Health + Hospitals

NYC Health + Hospitals is the largest public health care system in the nation serving more than a million New Yorkers annually in more than 70 patient care locations across the city’s five boroughs. A robust network of outpatient, neighborhood-based primary and specialty care centers anchors care coordination with the system’s trauma centers, nursing homes, post-acute care centers, home care agency, and MetroPlus health plan—all supported by 11 essential hospitals. Its diverse workforce of more than 42,000 employees is uniquely focused on empowering New Yorkers, without exception, to live the healthiest life possible. For more information, visit us at www.nychealthandhospitals.org and stay connected on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/NYCHealthSystem or Twitter at @NYCHealthSystem.

About New York City Alliance Against Sexual Assault

The Alliance was created for and by Rape Crisis Centers in 2000, and it has been the go-to resource and referral hub for survivors of sexual assault since. It provides direct services and systems’ advocacy and serve as a conduit between partner organizations and various stakeholders including city and state agencies. For the past decade, the Alliance has held an award ceremony, the Celebration of Excellence, to honor individuals working together to provide the best services to survivors of sexual assault.