It took two years of meeting, training and planning, and now a local agency is preparing to mark the first anniversary of the county's sexual assault awareness team.

AW/ARE, Mercer County's domestic violence and sexual assault crisis agency, will host a training session from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. May 1 at The Rosemont banquet and conference center, Sharon, and a breakfast from 8:30 a.m. to 10 a.m. May 2 at the Radisson Hotel of Sharon, Shenango Township.

The SART is the result of a collaborative effort among hospital officials, law enforcement authorities, the district attorney's office and AW/ARE advocates.

The group gets called in when victims of sexual assault first present themselves at area hospitals. It is the team's job to execute a thorough examination and assessment of the victim, which includes collecting forensic evidence in a rape kit, and provide him or her with information, said Mary Keck, AW/ARE's sexual assault prevention coordinator.

She said the team's primary focus is helping victims cope with their harrowing experiences.

"The response has improved," she said. "The amount of time victims have to stay in hospital waiting rooms has improved. The response is more victim-centered."

She added that before the team was put in place, many victims weren't sure where to turn to get help.

"Lots of progress has been made," Ms. Keck said. "We're trying to educate the community about the team. We want to let people who are victims of sexual assault know that we're going to respond in a compassionate and caring way and help them through the process."

Ms. Keck said representatives from all three county hospitals -- United Community, Pine Township; Sharon Regional Health System; and UPMC Horizon, Farrell and Greenville -- are actively participating in the team.

Mercer County Assistant District Attorney Robert Kochems, along with District Attorney James Epstein, helped kick-start the team by putting together the main protocols for the program, Ms. Keck said.

Kochems said one of the primary goals of the team is to help victims know that law enforcement officials are willing and able to help them.

"Rape is a terribly underreported crime in Mercer County," he said. "Many times victims are reluctant to testify ... so we put in place a group of people that would be supportive of (victims) from the beginning so they know we are on their side.

"We're committed to increasing the friendliness of the prosecution team and making the prosecution happen."

The DA's office also continues to train police and nurses on courtroom procedures, Kochems added.

The session planned for May 1 is for law enforcement and first responders, such as 911 operators, and will feature California native Joanne Archambault as the keynote speaker.

Sgt. Archambault has been with the San Diego police department for 21 years and has addressed audiences across the country on the function of law enforcement in the investigation of sex crimes.

For the last nine years, she has been working in the department's sex crimes unit, which houses 13 detectives who investigate about 1,000 felony sexual offenses every year.

Sgt. Archambault worked with the National Center for Women and Policing to generate the first national sexual- assault training manual and curriculum for law enforcement.

Ms. Keck said Sgt. Archambault's focus has been to get communities together to respond to victims of sexual violence, including 911 operators, law enforcement officials, emergency medical technicians and sexual assault nurse examiners.

The second session will be a breakfast held for community stakeholders to learn more about the county's sexual violence, AW/ARE, SART and community collaboration.

Some invitees to the breakfast include hospital directors and administrators from other social-service organizations.