Idaho state officials today [Thursday] announced they’ve received more than a quarter-of-a-million dollars in federal grants to train nurses and others around the state to collect evidence of sexual assaults.
Rep. Melissa Wintrow (D-Boise) says the grants will pay to hire a person to train those who examine assault victims.
Wintrow says rural health providers and policing agencies often don’t have the capability of providing timely evidence gathering. She says the grants make it possible for the state to put into practice work done by the legislature to build standards for treating women who have been assaulted.
“If you’ve been victimized, you might report to a hospital, police officer, a community-based program, a friend, a family member. The importance of laws is that we that create the standards of how we’re going to do it and the expectations so that it’s consistent throughout the state. But we can’t forget the great community partners who help us make this go. So we have to provide those resources,” Wintrow said.
She says the money will also help the state buy equipment needed to do sexual assault examinations.