National Shattering Silence Coalition

  • WHO WE ARE
    • ABOUT US
    • STRATEGIC ROADMAP
    • TEAM
    • BOARD OF DIRECTORS
    • STATE DIRECTORS >
      • MEET YOUR 31 DIRECTORS
      • AL: Holly Strayer
      • AK: Krista Schooley
      • AZ: Crystal Fox
      • CA: Jacqueline Janssen
      • CT: Melissa Valdivia
      • DE: Heidi Nasstrom Evans
      • FL: Joanne Schmitz
      • FL: Jack Wood
      • IN: David Doerner
      • GA: Daniel White
      • HI: Chad Koyangi
      • IL: Cindy Tank-Murphy
      • KY: Angeline Davis
      • MA: Lynda Cutrell
      • ME: John Nutting
      • MI: Carla Van Farowe
      • NH: Mara Briere
      • NJ: Chip Angell
      • NC: Beth Wallace
      • OH: Darrell Herrmann
      • OR: Breanna Smith
      • PA: Marcie Sohara
      • PA: Carter Hawley
      • RI: Ruth Scott
      • SC: Susan Lea
      • TX: Julie Plank
      • UT: Sherri Wittwer
      • VA: Mary Troy
      • WA: Leanna May Franklin
    • PARTNERS
    • NATIONAL SOLIDARITY WALL
    • SOCIAL IMPACT
    • CONTACT US
  • IMPACT INITIATIVES
    • CRISIS TO CARE
    • BEYOND STIGMA
    • MOBILIZING DIRECTORS
    • SMI PEER ALLIANCE
  • MEDIA & INSIGHTS
    • PRO & PEER TALKS
    • TREATMENT SAVES, NEGLECT COSTS: THE EVIDENCE >
      • SEE THE EVIDENCE
      • SHARE YOUR EVIDENCE
    • FRONTLINE PERSPECTIVES
    • NATIONAL POSITION PAPERS
    • EVENTS & OUTREACH >
      • SYMPOSIUMS
      • CONFERENCES
    • CAMPAIGNS >
      • BEYOND STIGMA CAMPAIGN
      • STILL HERE CAMPAIGN
      • THE SANDY PRUETT PROJECT
    • PODCASTS
    • BLOG
    • IN THE NEWS
    • PRESS ROOM
  • RESOURCES & ADVOCACY
    • UNDERSTANDING PSYCHOSIS GUIDE
    • SMI CAREGIVERS GUIDE
    • POLITICAL ADVOCACY GUIDE
    • HELPING IN CRISIS GUIDE
    • TREATMENT TERMS GUIDE
    • QUARTERLY RESOURCE GUIDE
    • EDUCATION & ADVOCACY TOOLS
  • SUPPORT GROUPS
    • THE ANCHOR
    • THE HIDDEN SENTENCE
    • SURVIVORS OF LOSS
    • SMI CAREGIVERS
    • SUCCESS CIRCLE
    • REPLANTING LIVES
  • JOIN
  • DONATE
  • WHO WE ARE
    • ABOUT US
    • STRATEGIC ROADMAP
    • TEAM
    • BOARD OF DIRECTORS
    • STATE DIRECTORS >
      • MEET YOUR 31 DIRECTORS
      • AL: Holly Strayer
      • AK: Krista Schooley
      • AZ: Crystal Fox
      • CA: Jacqueline Janssen
      • CT: Melissa Valdivia
      • DE: Heidi Nasstrom Evans
      • FL: Joanne Schmitz
      • FL: Jack Wood
      • IN: David Doerner
      • GA: Daniel White
      • HI: Chad Koyangi
      • IL: Cindy Tank-Murphy
      • KY: Angeline Davis
      • MA: Lynda Cutrell
      • ME: John Nutting
      • MI: Carla Van Farowe
      • NH: Mara Briere
      • NJ: Chip Angell
      • NC: Beth Wallace
      • OH: Darrell Herrmann
      • OR: Breanna Smith
      • PA: Marcie Sohara
      • PA: Carter Hawley
      • RI: Ruth Scott
      • SC: Susan Lea
      • TX: Julie Plank
      • UT: Sherri Wittwer
      • VA: Mary Troy
      • WA: Leanna May Franklin
    • PARTNERS
    • NATIONAL SOLIDARITY WALL
    • SOCIAL IMPACT
    • CONTACT US
  • IMPACT INITIATIVES
    • CRISIS TO CARE
    • BEYOND STIGMA
    • MOBILIZING DIRECTORS
    • SMI PEER ALLIANCE
  • MEDIA & INSIGHTS
    • PRO & PEER TALKS
    • TREATMENT SAVES, NEGLECT COSTS: THE EVIDENCE >
      • SEE THE EVIDENCE
      • SHARE YOUR EVIDENCE
    • FRONTLINE PERSPECTIVES
    • NATIONAL POSITION PAPERS
    • EVENTS & OUTREACH >
      • SYMPOSIUMS
      • CONFERENCES
    • CAMPAIGNS >
      • BEYOND STIGMA CAMPAIGN
      • STILL HERE CAMPAIGN
      • THE SANDY PRUETT PROJECT
    • PODCASTS
    • BLOG
    • IN THE NEWS
    • PRESS ROOM
  • RESOURCES & ADVOCACY
    • UNDERSTANDING PSYCHOSIS GUIDE
    • SMI CAREGIVERS GUIDE
    • POLITICAL ADVOCACY GUIDE
    • HELPING IN CRISIS GUIDE
    • TREATMENT TERMS GUIDE
    • QUARTERLY RESOURCE GUIDE
    • EDUCATION & ADVOCACY TOOLS
  • SUPPORT GROUPS
    • THE ANCHOR
    • THE HIDDEN SENTENCE
    • SURVIVORS OF LOSS
    • SMI CAREGIVERS
    • SUCCESS CIRCLE
    • REPLANTING LIVES
  • JOIN
  • DONATE

image assets

Alabama Holly Strayer Read Bio
Alaska Krista Schooley Read Bio
Arizona Crystal Fox Read Bio
California Jacqueline Janssen Read Bio
Connecticut Melissa Valdivia Read Bio
Colorado Kate Rawlinson Read Bio
Delaware Heidi Nasstrom Evans Read Bio
Florida Joanne Schmitz & Jack Wood Read Bio
Georgia Daniel White Read Bio
Hawaii Chad Koyanagi Bio In Progress / Email Direct
Idaho Mallory Wilson Bio In Progress / Email Direct
Illinois Cindy Tank-Murphy Read Bio
Indiana David Doerner Read Bio
Iowa Cathy Bullock Bio In Progress / Email Direct
Kentucky Angeline Davis Read Bio
Maine John Nutting Read Bio
Massachusetts Linda Cutrell Read Bio
Michigan Carla Van Farowe Read Bio
New Hampshire Mara Briere Read Bio
New Jersey Chip Angell Read Bio
New York Marianna Vertsman Bio In Progress / Email Direct
North Carolina Beth Wallace Read Bio
Ohio Darrell Herrmann Read Bio
Oregon Breanna Smith Read Bio
Pennsylvania Marcie Sohara & Carter Hawley Read Bio
Rhode Island Ruth Scott Read Bio
South Carolina Susan Lea Read Bio
Texas Julie Plank Read Bio
Utah Sherri Wittwer Read Bio
Virginia Mary Troy Read Bio
Washington Leanna May Franklin Read Bio
Pillar One

Educational Awareness

The Medical Reality: We provide the clinical intelligence required to prove the medical necessity of a National Standard of Care and dismantle the "Right to be Sick" narrative.

By reframing SMI as a no-fault biological brain disease, we ensure families and policymakers have the strategic resources necessary to advocate for medical treatment over systemic tragedy.

Pillar Two

Community Collaboration

The Clinical Lifeline: We align a diverse network of NPOs, medical professionals, and lived-experience advocates to bridge the gap between systemic abandonment and a National Standard of Care.

By fostering these strategic alliances, we ensure that the symptoms of a biological disease are met with a coordinated medical intervention rather than a jail cell, the streets, or an early grave.

Pillar Three

Grassroots Reform

The Right to be Well: We drive the grassroots action required to enshrine medical accountability and ensure the National Standard of Care is the baseline in all 50 states.

We champion the legislative mandates and policy reforms needed to provide a lifeline for the gravely disabled, enshrining the right to life-saving healthcare in state law.

Initiative One

Mobilizing Our
State Directors

Ending the silence at the State House.

For too long, families have navigated a system that simply wasn't built to care. We are turning our collective experience into a national movement by professionalizing our State Directors to act as a permanent bridge to legislative change. By funding this leadership network, you provide the compassionate, elite presence needed to command the room and secure the medical treatment our loved ones deserve.

Learn More →
Initiative Two

Bridging Crisis
to Care

No more screaming into the void.

When SMI hits home, there is no 911 for the families. We are initiating the deployment of a first-of-its-kind pilot to turn a system of abandonment into a clinical lifeline. By leveraging our network of veteran peers, we will provide families with 1-on-1 Family Peer Navigators as well as tactical advocacy kits and support groups—ensuring that those in the darkest moments of crisis have lived-experience experts by their side to secure medical accountability.

Learn More →
Initiative Three

SMI Peer
Alliance

It is time to be truly seen and understood.

Your lived experience is more than a story—it is the evidence needed to champion a new national standard of care. We are inviting those who have navigated the system to claim a seat at the table and turn perspective into systemic power.

Learn More →
Initiative Four

Beyond Stigma
Documentary

The Right to be Sick is a standard of neglect.

We are done paying the 'Neglect Tax' for a biological brain disease treated as a character flaw. We are providing the Ground Truth visual evidence required to secure the Right to be Well and establish a National Mandate for Treatment.

Learn More →
Initiative One

Mobilizing Our
State Directors

Ending the silence at the State House.

We are seeking the investment required to professionalize our State Directors into a permanent bridge for legislative change. By funding this network, you provide the elite presence needed to secure the medical treatment our loved ones deserve. We are moving the fight from the sidewalk to the State House to ensure "The Right to be Well" becomes the law of the land.

Learn More →
Initiative Two

Bridging Crisis
to Care

No more screaming into the void.

We are raising the capital to deploy a first-of-its-kind pilot designed to turn a system of abandonment into a clinical lifeline. Your support allows us to pair families with veteran Peer Navigators to secure medical accountability in the darkest moments. No more families left to navigate the darkness alone; your investment builds the bridge from isolation to life-saving care.

Learn More →
Initiative Three

SMI Peer
Alliance

Ending the silence for the 22 million.

We are building a coalition of survivors to act as a unified force for the 22 million Americans currently too ill to advocate for themselves. Your investment turns lived-experience into the systemic power required to secure a National Standard of Care. We are claiming our seat at the table to ensure those who have suffered the most define the future of recovery.

Learn More →
Initiative Four

Beyond Stigma
Documentary

The Right to be Sick is a standard of neglect.

We are currently securing production funding to finalize this visual evidence of the $343B "Neglect Tax." This film provides the Ground-Truth proof required to establish a National Standard of Care for 22 million families. We are shattering the silence to prove that SMI is a medical crisis, not a character flaw, and that treatment is a fundamental human right.

Learn More →
The Survivor’s Mandate “

I survived a suicide attempt only after being granted my ‘right to be sick.' My survival wasn't a clinical success—it was because my sister found me in the sprinklers at 3 AM. Our strategic roadmap has a heart: we are turning our shared pain into accountability.

Kerry Martin, MPP Board Member & Director of Growth & Impact
The Family Mandate “

By uniting elite credentials with the raw reality of no-fault brain diseases, we will together champion a National Standard of Care where the Right to be Well is a medical mandate, not a matter of a family’s desperate vigilance.

Ann Corcoran, RN, MSN Executive Director, NSSC
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NSSC IS A 501(C)3 TAX-EXEMPT NONPROFIT [EIN# 41-3720272]

Disclaimer: NSSC is not liable for any information, service or product obtained from this site. No legal or medical advice is provided. Information on site is not a substitute for professional healthcare. Please consult your healthcare provider for medical advice. Support groups are confidential and for educational and supportive purposes only. All views expressed in media posts and perspectives are those of the contributing authors and not necessarily NSSC or its affiliates.

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