The rural domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault, and stalking program (rural program) is authorized by 34 U.S.C. 12341

Rural program funds are used to support programs that: 1) identify, assess, and appropriately respond to child, youth, and adult victims of domestic violence, sexual assault, dating violence, and stalking in rural communities; 2) establish and expand victim services in rural communities to child, youth, and adult victims; 3) increase the safety and well-being of women and children in rural communities, by (a) dealing directly and immediately with domestic violence, sexual assault, dating violence, and stalking; and (b) creating and implementing strategies to increase awareness and prevent these crimes; and 4) develop, expand, implement, and improve the quality of sexual assault forensic medical examination or sexual assault nurse examiner programs. Grantees must use at least one of the following strategies in implementing their projects: 1) implement, expand, and establish cooperative efforts and projects among law enforcement officers, prosecutors, victim service providers, and other related parties to investigate and prosecute incidents of domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault, and stalking; 2) provide treatment, counseling, advocacy, legal assistance, and other long-term and short-term victim and population specific services to adult and minor victims of domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault, and stalking in rural communities; 3) work in cooperation with the community to develop education and prevention strategies directed toward such issues; 4) develop, enlarge, or strengthen programs addressing sexual assault; and 5) develop programs and strategies that focus on the specific needs of victims of who reside in remote rural and geographically isolated areas. With this continuation rural domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault, and stalking grant award, the southeast missouri network against sexual violence, in partnership with delta area economic opportunity corporation; southeasthealth; susanna wesley family learning center; and the offices of the sheriff and prosecuting attorney from the seven counties who form multi-disciplinary teams, will implement a sane/sart project for the rural southeast missouri counties of bollinger, mississippi, new madrid, pemiscot, perry, scott, and stoddar. Specific activities will include: 1) expanding service capacity by adding a full-time nurse practitioner to perform sexual assault forensic exams; 2) implementing prevention programming and outreach by funding two part-time prevention specialists; 3) supporting ongoing mental health services for survivors by funding a full-time therapist; 4) providing advocacy, navigation, referrals, and wraparound support for survivors; and 5) delivering targeted training for mandated reporters, multi-disciplinary team members, and law enforcement. The timing for performance of this award is 24 months.