A year-old partnership between Billings Clinic and the Billings Police Department has dramatically changed the way domestic abuse in Yellowstone County is investigated and prosecuted.

The team-up has provided resource connections, specialized care for survivors and the evidence needed to convict their attackers. Yellowstone County Domestic Violence Investigator Katie Nash believes it's working.

“The goal was to get victims the medical attention they needed in a way that could be useful for the criminal case, and at the same time making sure referral systems were in place to get victims additional resources,” said Nash. “And, that victims would not incur the cost of the forensic exams by linking the process to grant funding.”

Survivors of domestic abuse often minimize being strangled or

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