Victim treatment clinic marks 10 years of service in Surrey

SURREY — An outpatient clinic that supports victims of violence is looking back at a decade of service since it launched in February 2015.

Embrace Clinic offers short-term care for people who have experienced sexual assault, exploitation, family violence, and more. Prior to settling in Surrey Memorial Hospital in 2021, the clinic ran through mobile partnerships with community organizations such as the Surrey Women’s Centre and Surrey Memorial Hospital Youth Clinic.

The clinic has since helped more than 5,000 patients.

“We used to see primarily women with injuries sustained as a result of sexual assault,” said Nurse Practitioner Hannah Varto, co-founder of Embrace Clinic, in a news release. “Now we’re seeing more cases of severe domestic violence including fractures, strangulations and head injuries and also sexual assault.”