Women’s Center of Jacksonville volunteer medical director honored as State of Florida Advocate of the Year by Office of the Attorney General
Dr. Wade Barnes to be honored in Tallahassee during Victims’ Rights Week
Jacksonville, Fla. – (March 15, 2018) — The Office of the Attorney General has named Dr. Wade Barnes, volunteer medical director for the Women’s Center of Jacksonville, as Advocate of the Year for the State of Florida.
“Dr. Barnes has been an invaluable member of our team, helping our organization, nurses and survivors,” said Teresa Miles, executive director of the Women’s Center of Jacksonville. “Dr. Barnes volunteers his time to ensure every survivor of sexual assault receives the care needed to begin healing.”
Dr. Wade Barnes joined the Women’s Center of Jacksonville in Oct. 2014 as the Sexual Assault Forensic Exam program transitioned from the City of Jacksonville to the Women’s Center of Jacksonville. Dr. Barnes volunteered to help build a program focusing on best practices in forensic exams and continues to ensure the Women’s Center of Jacksonville utilizes best practices.
Dr. Barnes has built a successful OB / GYN practice that he plans to retire from in June of this year. He has delivered thousands of babies, and plans to dedicate more of his time to his volunteer work with the Women’s Center of Jacksonville’s Sexual Assault Forensic Exam (SAFE) Center. The SAFE program is opening a new center at 5300 Emerson St. in Jacksonville. The center is scheduled to within the next 60 days.
“Dr. Barnes goes above and beyond for the Women’s Center of Jacksonville and survivors of sexual assault,” said Miles. “When expenses are higher than anticipated or a survivor has an unmet need, Dr. Barnes purchases needed supplies with his own money or works with other medical professionals to get them at little or no cost and donates them to the Women’s Center of Jacksonville and the survivors we serve. His generosity is a model for all volunteers.”
Dr. Barnes also volunteers staffing cases, reviewing charts and meeting with nurses for the Women’s Center of Jacksonville. He is available to the organization 24 hours a day.
Dr. Barnes allows the Women’s Center of Jacksonville’s nursing staff to train in his private office at no cost and works with the nurses and sexual assault forensic examination team to ensure they are prepared for courtroom testimony. Dr. Barnes also serves as an expert witness to ensure the timely prosecution of perpetrators.
A tribute ceremony on April 11, 2018 during Victims’ Rights Week at the state capital will honor Dr. Barnes.
“At the Women’s Center of Jacksonville, we have a nickname for Dr. Barnes: An Advocate with a Stethoscope,” said Miles. “He is admired by his peers, respected by his patients and revered by everyone who has the honor of meeting him. At the Women’s Center of Jacksonville, we are so grateful that Dr. Barnes volunteers his time to help survivors of sexual assault in our care.”
