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 Helen Ross McNabb Center, Inc. $700,000 under the Rural Domestic Violence, Dating Violence, Sexual Assault, and Stalking Assistance Program (CFDA 16.589) on October 1, 2025, for a period of performance through September 30, 2028.

McNabb Center will implement rural sexual assault forensic examination and victim services across East Tennessee counties in partnership with Natalie Blache, MD. The award funds identification, assessment, and response to child, youth, and adult victims of domestic violence, sexual assault, dating violence, and stalking in rural communities; establishment and expansion of victim services; and development or improvement of sexual assault forensic medical examination or sexual assault nurse examiner programs. Work is performed in Knoxville, Tennessee.

The Rural Program authorizes support for strategies including cooperative efforts among law enforcement, prosecutors, and victim service providers; treatment, counseling, advocacy, and legal assistance to victims; community education and prevention strategies; and programs addressing the specific needs of victims in remote rural and geographically isolated areas. McNabb Center, a Knoxville-based nonprofit providing community behavioral health and social services across 25 East Tennessee counties, acts as prime recipient on this award with no pass-through sub-recipients identified in the source.

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 new OVW rural program project, helen ross mcnabb center, INC., in partnership with natalie blache, MD, will implement the rural sexual assault advocacy expansion project. This victim service project addresses the following purpose areas: 1, 2, and 3 for rural areas of anderson, blount, campbell, claiborne, cocke, grainger, hamblen, jefferson, knox, loudon, roane, sevier, and union counties in tennessee. Specific activities will include: 1) employing two sexual assault advocates and one education specialist; 2) expanding access to direct advocacy, trauma-informed professional training, and crisis hotline; 3) enhancing sexual assault response team (SART) development; 4) improving regional coordination and outreach to underserved populations; and 5) strengthening partnerships with local hospitals and health systems.