FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact:
Isabella Nowak, PAARI Public Relations – isabella@paariusa.org
Boston, MA – June 20, 2025 – The Police Assisted Addiction and Recovery Initiative (PAARI) is proud to announce the next installment in its Partner Spotlight Series, featuring Andrea Darr, Technical Expert Lead at JBS International. The virtual event will take place on Tuesday, June 24, at 3:00 p.m. EST.
Andrea Darr is a nationally recognized subject matter expert on the Handle With Care (HWC) initiative. She co-founded the West Virginia HWC Initiative, which fosters trauma-informed collaboration between law enforcement, schools, and mental health professionals to ensure safe and supportive environments for children exposed to trauma.
Previously serving as Director of the West Virginia Center for Children’s Justice, Andrea trained law enforcement and first responders on child maltreatment and the implementation of HWC protocols. The HWC model serves as a deflection and diversion strategy by providing first responders with an additional tool to help children who need support instead of incarceration.
Tuesday’s webinar will provide an in-depth look at HWC, highlighting its measurable impact across West Virginia and its potential for replication in other communities nationwide.
“First Responders are on the front line and the first to encounter many children in need of assistance and support,” said Andrea Darr. “I’m looking forward to connecting with PAARI’s network to share how this model can be implemented in diverse settings to truly make a difference.”
“Andrea made a lasting impression on our partners when she spoke at our Summit in Tampa earlier this year,” said Brittney Garrett, PAARI’s Senior Director of Public Safety Strategy and Engagement. “It’s an honor to have her return and speak on an issue that is vital to the impact our partners are making in their communities.”
To register for the Partner Spotlight presentation, please visit the registration page HERE.
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ABOUT PAARI: The Police Assisted Addiction & Recovery Initiative (PAARI) is a nonprofit organization with a mission to help law enforcement agencies nationwide create deflection programs (i.e., non-arrest pathways to treatment and recovery). Founded alongside the groundbreaking Gloucester, Mass., Police Department Angel Initiative in June 2015, PAARI has been a driving force behind this rapidly expanding community policing movement. We provide technical assistance, strategic guidance, connection to training resources, and other capacity-building resources to more than 800 police departments in 46 states.
PAARI works with more than 160 law enforcement agencies in Massachusetts alone. PAARI and our law enforcement partners are working towards a collective vision where non-arrest diversion and deflection programs become a standard policing practice across the country, thereby reducing overdose deaths, expanding access to treatment, improving public safety, reducing crime, diverting people away from the criminal justice system, and increasing trust between law enforcement and their communities. Our programs and partners have saved tens of thousands of lives, changed police culture, and reshaped the national conversation about the opioid epidemic since its founding in June 2015. Learn more at paariusa.org.
ABOUT JBS INTERNATIONAL, INC: Established in 1985 by two women, JBS International, Inc. has worked with clients to successfully design solutions that focus on opportunities and address challenges—always with an emphasis on understanding the specific health, social, and educational needs of people across the lifespan and from all walks of life. Our work includes health IT, research and evaluation, international public health, policy analysis, and communications services.
Since 2017 JBS has been operating under the Celerian Group brand of companies owned by Blue Cross Blue Shield of South Carolina. With over 400 employees throughout the country, JBS is headquartered in North Bethesda, MD and has an office in San Mateo, CA. Learn more at jbsinternational.com
