October 8, 2025

Who Avert Harm Programs Are For?

Who Is A.V.E.R.T. Harm For?

A.V.E.R.T. Harm is for everyone. From the layperson who notices a neighbor struggling, to the expert shaping health policy, this program is designed to empower anyone who plays a role in preventing, recognizing, and responding to harm.

Just as CPR equips both bystanders and professionals to save lives, A.V.E.R.T. Harm equips all of us to act before risks escalate into crises. It’s not only for doctors, leaders, or responders—it’s for you, too.


Track 1: Community & Frontline

For individuals, peers, and frontline staff who are often the first to notice signs of distress or risk.

  • Teachers & school staff

  • Parents, caregivers, and peers

  • Faith leaders & community volunteers

  • First responders (police, fire, EMTs)

  • Workplace supervisors & HR professionals

  • Youth mentors, coaches, and outreach workers

Focus: Building everyday skills to recognize risks, respond with confidence, and connect people to help.


Track 2: Clinical

For healthcare and behavioral health professionals who need structured, evidence-based tools to assess, intervene, and support patients at risk of harm.

  • Physicians, nurses, and advanced practice providers

  • Social workers & mental health professionals

  • Addiction & recovery specialists

  • Emergency department & urgent care staff

  • Case managers & care coordinators

Focus: Integrating A.V.E.R.T. Harm tools into patient care, risk assessment, and treatment pathways.


Track 3: Public Health & Systems Leadership

For leaders and decision-makers shaping the systems, policies, and environments that influence health and safety at scale.

  • Public health officials & epidemiologists

  • Policy makers & legislators

  • Hospital & health system administrators

  • Nonprofit & NGO leaders

  • Community health organizers

  • Corporate & institutional safety leaders

Focus: Using A.V.E.R.T. Harm as a framework for surveillance, prevention planning, and population-level intervention.


👉 Together, these three tracks form a complete safety net. From everyday community members to expert-level professionals, every person can learn to recognize risks, respond effectively, and prevent harm from being overlooked. A.V.E.R.T. Harm is for everyone—and that means it’s for you, too.

“From neighbor to nurse, teacher to policymaker—A.V.E.R.T. Harm empowers everyone to see risks, act early, and prevent harm before it happens.”

“A.V.E.R.T. Harm is for everyone—from everyday heroes to expert professionals—because preventing harm is a responsibility we all share.”


🔄 AVERTFIRST vs. AVERTHARM Comparison

AVERTFIRST

  • Focus: Foundational education, early risk recognition, upstream prevention
  • Analogy: First Aid
  • Positioning: Upstream
  • Purpose: Equip individuals and organizations to recognize, anticipate, and neutralize risks before they manifest
  • Scope: Emergency preparedness, behavioral awareness, social determinants, population vulnerabilities
  • Audience: Community leaders, educators, frontline workers, public health strategists
  • Function: Gateway to deeper harm reduction protocols; triage for societal risk

AVERTHARM

  • Focus: Harm reduction, integrated response, mid-to-downstream intervention
  • Analogy: CPR
  • Positioning: Midstream to Downstream
  • Purpose: Deliver targeted training and certification for managing and mitigating harm once risks have emerged
  • Scope: Mental health, chronic illness, reproductive health, digital safety, structural inequities
  • Audience: Clinicians, care teams, policy makers, systems-level responders
  • Function: Intervention pathways and collaborative care models to reduce harm and restore stability

 

Both Program Tracks embraces the SHORE FRONT Principle established by AVERT Harm, which essentially address, now we have reached a person, now that we have resuced a person…now what. We have to plan, and establish reiforcements to prevent a reoccurance from issues happening again.