When a survivor of sexual assault arrives at a hospital, it’s a sure bet that’s she’s been battered emotionally, mentally, and physically. You would like to think that there would be both adequate care provided to her as patient, and careful collection of evidence to address the crime. But there's a problem.

Law enforcement agencies nationwide have recently faced high-profile criticism for the way they’ve handled sexual assaults... A new report from the Government Accountability Office, however, reveals another weakness in America’s treatment of rape victims — one that starts at the hospital: There’s a serious shortage of medical examiners who collect DNA evidence.

The distribution of medical examiners capable of conducting the exam is sparse enough that survivors in rural areas might have to drive an hour or more simply to reach a location that’s properly staffed.

Meanwhile, just one hospital in Colorado — Memorial Hospital in Colorado Springs — staffs examiners 24 hours a day, seven days a week. … Experts say timeliness is crucial for evidence preservation — and a victim’s comfort, since they’re advised not to eat or drink between the time of the assault and examination.

So a rape survivor not “lucky” enough to be assaulted in the right place at the right time can find that she’s hauled from one town to another without being able to get treatment, get food, or get clean during the search for a trained examiner. Or, more likely, she finds that no evidence collection is done, making it much harder for assailants to be prosecuted successfully.