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

The Department of Justice Office on Violence Against Women awarded $950,000 to Kootenai Health Foundation Inc. under the Rural Domestic Violence, Dating Violence, Sexual Assault, and Stalking Assistance Program (CFDA 16.589) on October 1, 2025.

The award funds a three-year project through September 30, 2028, operating in Coeur d'Alene, Idaho. Kootenai Health Foundation, in partnership with Safe Passage Children's Advocacy Center, implements cooperative efforts among law enforcement, prosecutors, and victim service providers to investigate and prosecute incidents of domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault, and stalking in rural communities. The project delivers treatment, counseling, advocacy, legal assistance, and both long-term and short-term victim services to adult and minor victims, with particular focus on populations in remote and geographically isolated areas. The initiative addresses the program's mandate to identify, assess, and respond to victims; establish and expand victim services; increase safety and well-being; and develop or improve sexual assault forensic medical examination and sexual assault nurse examiner programs through community collaboration and education strategies.

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. Through this continuation OVW rural program project, the kootenai health foundation, in partnership with safe passage children's advocacy center and the northwest hospital alliance, will implement kootenai healths sexual assault nurse examiner (sane) program. This sane project addresses the following purpose areas: 1, 2, 3, and 4 for benewah, bonner, boundary, clearwater, idaho, kootenai, latah, lewis, NEZ perce, and shoshone counties. Specific project activities will include: 1) providing 24/7 medical forensic exams and trauma-informed medical care for adult survivors; 2) providing child-focused forensic exams and child-friendly forensic interviews; 3) providing advocacy and referrals for behavioral health, legal services and victim support agencies; and 4) providing training and outreach to rural healthcare providers, law enforcement, and advocacy organizations.