NYC Health + Hospitals North Central launches first hospital-based rape crisis program in the Bronx

Located at the hospital’s North Central Bronx campus, the program offers free and confidential individual and group counseling and in-person accompaniment to medical and forensic exams in the emergency room.

Survivors can also receive assistance and referrals to help navigate medical, legal, and prosecutorial systems.

“Survivors of sexual violence deserve compassionate, confidential support at every step of their journey toward healing and recovery,” said Christopher Mastromano, chief executive officer at NYC Health + Hospitals/Jacobi | North Central Bronx.

 “The launch of the Rape Crisis Program at North Central Bronx strengthens our ability to provide that support close to home, connecting survivors with trained professionals who can help them navigate the medical, emotional, and social challenges that can follow an experience of sexual violence,” he added.

The Bronx reported the highest rates of rapes and sex crimes when adjusted for population according to a 2025 data brief from the Mayor’s Office to End Domestic and Gender-Based Violence. Despite the borough’s high rates, it had just one rape crisis program.

Manhattan, by comparison, has six hospital-based rape crisis programs.

Rape crisis centers across New York have faced significant cuts to federal funding distributed through the state Office of Victim Services, including Kingsbridge Heights Community Center.

Bronx District Attorney Darcel Clark said her office operated the only state-accredited rape crisis center housed within a district attorney’s office for decades, until state Department of Health rules changed regarding district attorneys’ offices operating such centers.

“This work provides a more sustainable network of support for survivors throughout the borough and across the country. There is an important conversation unfolding about how to build systems that put survivors first,” Clark said. 

“The Bronx deserves its fair share of resources, and we’re getting them now. Our survivors deserve access to compassionate and comprehensive support, regardless of where they live or where they are in their process of healing,” she said.

The program currently works with eight volunteer advocates who provide support to survivors at both the North Central and Jacobi campuses. The hospital plans to expand the volunteer advocate pool at upcoming 40-hour training sessions in January for community members, with the capacity to train up to 60 people a year.  

“When I am on call, I might hear from the emergency department at 2 a.m., 3 a.m., or 4 a.m. in the morning to come in,” said Tobie Buford, Rape Crisis Counselor. “I help the survivor by being there for the exam, filling out forms, and offering moral support … Being there to help someone go through the process is very important.”

“For me, it’s about helping people who lost control during that time, and helping them gain their control back, their self-respect back, their understanding that they are human, back. I hope more people apply to become a rape crisis counselor. We need more help,” Buford said.

The North Central Bronx program is the second rape crisis program in the NYC Health + Hospitals system, following one at Bellevue Hospital. All 11 hospitals in the system have specially trained Sexual Assault Response Teams in their emergency departments, where survivors receive care within an hour of arrival.