Moderation Policy

Last Updated: September 24, 2026

Heart Restarted is a peer support community for cardiac and ECMO survivors and their caregivers. Because our members are often in a medically vulnerable moment, safety on this platform takes priority over every other consideration. This policy explains what we review, how quickly, and what happens when we act.

1. Report Categories

Every report is filed under one of the following categories. Reports include the content, the reporter, and the person being reported.

  • Attempting to give medical advice: diagnosis, treatment, or medication guidance offered in place of a clinician
  • Harassment or bullying: targeted, repeated, or hostile conduct toward another member
  • Concerning crisis language: language suggesting a member or someone they describe is in danger
  • Spam or irrelevant content: commercial solicitation or content unrelated to peer support
  • Inappropriate content: content that is sexual, violent, or otherwise unsuitable for the community
  • Other concern: anything not covered above, described in the reporter's own words

2. Response Time

  • Concerning crisis language: reviewed within 1 hour, every day of the week
  • Harassment, bullying, or medical advice: reviewed within 24 hours
  • Spam, inappropriate content, or other concerns: reviewed within 72 hours

Every report receives a status of pending, reviewing, or resolved, and the reporter is notified when their report is resolved.

3. Ban Criteria

Moderation action is proportionate to severity and history:

  • Warning: a first, non-severe violation (e.g. a single off-topic promotional post)
  • Content removal: the reported content is taken down; the member keeps their account
  • Temporary suspension: repeated violations after a warning, or a single instance of harassment
  • Permanent ban: giving medical advice that could cause harm, sustained harassment, impersonation, or any content sexualizing another member
  • Immediate ban, no warning: threats of violence, content indicating a member intends to harm themselves or others, or illegal content

4. Legal Escalation

Moderation is separate from and does not replace emergency services. If a report describes someone in immediate danger, we direct the reporter to call 911 or the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline before any moderation review takes place.

We escalate a report beyond internal moderation when it involves:

  • A credible threat of violence against a specific person
  • Evidence of child exploitation, which is reported to the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children as required by law
  • Content indicating an ongoing crime
  • A valid subpoena, court order, or law enforcement request for account information

In these cases we preserve the relevant records and cooperate with law enforcement consistent with our Privacy Policy and applicable law.

5. Appeals

A member who believes a moderation decision was made in error may appeal by contacting us at the address below. Appeals are reviewed by a moderator who was not involved in the original decision.

6. Contact Us

For questions about this Moderation Policy, or to appeal a decision, contact us at:

Heart Restarted

Email: info@impactconsulting.ai