Mercy Medical Center in Baltimore received a presidential award for its Blue Dot Human Trafficking Initiative.
A press statement from U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken applauded the program "for its innovative and holistic approach to the care and wellbeing of victims of human trafficking."
For several years, the hospital has collaborated with the Maryland Governor’s Office of Crime Control and Prevention, the Maryland Human Trafficking Task Force, the Maryland Department of Health and Mental Hygiene, and human trafficking nonprofits to provide care for victims and combat the issue.
"This award validates that Mercy's Forensic Nursing Program has answered the need for a community response to human trafficking," a tweeted statement from Mercy Medical Center's director of forensic nursing, Debra Holbrook, MSN, RN, read.