Blacktail Health’s Butte Child Evaluation Center was honored recently as the 2026 Spring Program Highlight by the Montana Board of Crime Control office in Helena.
For 25 years, the Butte center, in partnership with Butte-Silver Bow Law Enforcement, the B-SB County Attorney’s Office, and Child Protective Services, has been a safe, confidential space to support children who have experienced abuse or witnessed a crime as they navigate the aftermath of trauma.
“We are honored to receive this distinction. It shows that our hard work is having an impact on the children and families in our community,” said Marisa McKee, a CEC advocate for Blacktail Health. “In Montana, Butte is one of only nine nationally accredited programs providing services like these.”
The program addresses the need for collaboration among law enforcement, child protective services, prosecutors, medical providers, mental health professionals, and victim advocates to better meet the complex needs of children and families.
They provide forensic interviews, medical care, counseling, and advocacy to minimize additional trauma to the child while improving the quality and outcomes of investigations.
Butte CEC also provides comprehensive services to two satellite clinics in Anaconda and Dillon. Every year, they provide more than 200 forensic exams.
According to a news release, by providing therapy services to an increasing number of children and families, Blacktail Health’s work increased prosecution rates for perpetrators of sexual abuse in Silver Bow, Beaverhead, and Deer Lodge Counties.