Crisis Center of Tampa Bay receives $35K grant to fund teen sexual assault exams

Crisis center gets grant to fund sex assault exams

A grant is helping fund some of the most important services that Crisis Center of Tampa Bay provides. FOX 13's Kylie Jones reports.

LAKE MAGDALENE, Fla. - A grant is helping fund some of the most important services that Crisis Center of Tampa Bay provides.

By the numbers:

The center received a $35,000 grant from the Suncoast Credit Union Foundation to help fund sexual assault exams for teens between 13 and 17 years old.

Last year, the center says it performed 50 sexual assault exams on patients between 13 and 17 years old.

It's the only place that people 13 years and older in Hillsborough County can go for this exam. The center works with local law enforcement agencies to perform these exams and process the DNA collected.

The center gets local, state and federal funding, but there are still gaps in funding programs and services.

Clara Reynolds, the president and CEO, says each exam costs about $1,700.

Why you should care:

This grant will help fill that gap in funding sexual assault exams for these teens.

"It takes a huge load off of us because we would have to find the money somewhere," Reynolds said. "It has to come from somewhere, because it is so core to what we do."

Reynolds says each exam takes four to six hours, and it requires a lot of staffing and medical resources.

"When they come here, they are the only client that we are seeing," Reynolds said. "They have our undivided attention in a place that is really friendly to a child. It's not a sterile room where they're dressed in, you know, a scrub or a gown."

Big picture view:

Reynolds says these exams can serve as vital evidence in many legal cases involving survivors of sexual assault.

"We're the ones that actually gather the DNA evidence that is then used in court," Reynolds said. "That is part of the legal process."

The center’s main site is in northern Hillsborough County, but it opened a second location in Ruskin in 2023.

You can find more information about Crisis Center of Tampa Bay and the services it provides here.