Bothwell receives state community partnership award

The Bothwell Regional Health Center Emergency Department recently received the Community Partnership Award from the Missouri Attorney General’s office for cooperation with Phase III of the SAFE Kit Initiative Project. The project was created to inventory, test and track the state’s high number of untested sexual assault kits. Bothwell also received an award last year for cooperating with Phase II of the project.

The Missouri Office of the Attorney General was awarded a grant in FY18 to complete a statewide sexual assault kit inventory and develop a comprehensive, statewide approach for addressing previously unsubmitted kits. In FY20, the AG’s office was awarded an additional $2 million in funding to continue their efforts. In FY22, an additional $2.5 million was given to continue inventorying additional kits, continue implementing the SAFETrack system and maintain funding of critical project personnel.

Missouri Attorney General Andrew Bailey said in a letter to Bothwell, “It is my great honor to present the Phase III SAFE Kit Initiative Community Partnership Award to your organization … As of this date, based on kits tested by the project, SAFE Kit Initiative staff has recorded three felony convictions, is monitoring the movement of nine pending criminal cases and is investigating more than 455 CODIS hits. This progress would be impossible without great hospital and law enforcement agency partners like you.”