GHSA and Responsibility.org provided a $30,000 grant to the Missouri Department of Transportation to enhance its capacity to train law enforcement officers in conducting roadside blood tests, helping the state better address impaired driving.
In 2023, the Governors Highway Safety Association (GHSA) partnered with the Foundation for Advancing Alcohol Responsibility (Responsibility.org) to provide a $30,000 grant to the Missouri Highway Safety and Traffic Division of the Missouri Department of Transportation (MoDOT), to tackle issues related to driving under the influence of drugs (DUID) and high-risk impaired driving in various settings, including laboratories, courtrooms and at the roadside.
MoDOT used the funding to enhance its capacity to train law enforcement officers in conducting roadside blood tests by establishing an in-state phlebotomy program in partnership with the MSC. (Missouri leveraged a previous GHSA/Responsibility.org grant to lay the groundwork for approval of its LEPP.)
The Law Enforcement Phlebotomy (LEP) Task Force was established in Missouri to help create the LEPP. The Task Force provided guidance and input to ensure the success of this program by establishing the LEPP at Moberly Area Community College (MACC). The Task Force worked with MACC to develop the program guidelines for and select applicants for the initial training.
A total of 16 students completed the training at MACC. Grant funding provided seven students with all the necessary supplies, including a phlebotomy chair, to use their new skills. Between January 22 and June 11, 2024, these students completed 31 blood draws.
The MSC is responsible for LEPP oversight, including managing travel logistics. The Phlebotomy Task Force was established during the pilot project, comprising highway safety professionals and advocates from across the state. This group has played a significant role in developing the program’s guidelines and procedures. MACC created the curriculum for the program.
To better understand the program’s curriculum requirements, MACC’s Darinda Mast, MLT (ASCP) CM traveled to Phoenix to observe the LEPP class. Based on her observations in Phoenix and her expertise in the field, Darinda worked with the Task Force to develop MACC’s model for the LEPP. MACC leveraged its statewide network to identify clinical sites for each student, ensuring they could complete the required number of “successful sticks” and fulfill the requirements of the program.
One of the most significant accomplishments to date was developing the LEPP curriculum. While 16 students have completed the training, having a curriculum offered through a Missouri institution means many more officers can be trained to perform blood draws, which are critical to the state’s efforts to combat impaired driving.
Since the beginning of the LEP pilot project, through June 11, 2024, 23 qualified/active law enforcement phlebotomists in Missouri have performed 246 blood draws. These LEPs will continue to work throughout the state to draw blood to assist in getting impaired drivers off the road and provide support at any court case where needed.
