Hi, I’m Shannon Martinez, and I’m reaching out to you to support Mental Health Code, with fiscal sponsorship through the Institute for Education, Research, and Scholarships (IFERS).

Every day, the people who care for us are carrying more than we see.

The nurse finishing a double shift.

The firefighter who cannot forget the last call.

The teacher holding space for a struggling student.

The police officer responding to crisis after crisis.

The EMT who arrives first.

The veteran who continues to serve long after the uniform comes off.

They are strong. They are capable. They are trained to respond.

But they are also human.

At Mental Health CODE (Connect, Observe, Discover, Empower), we exist because too many of those who serve others suffer in silence. Suicide rates among first responders, healthcare professionals, educators, and veterans remain alarmingly high. Stigma, cumulative trauma exposure, burnout, and limited access to culturally competent support create a dangerous gap between needing help and asking for it.

We are here to change that.

We call it CODE:

Connect. Observe. Discover. Empower.

This is more than an acronym. It is our framework for suicide prevention.

We teach people how to connect before crisis.

How to observe subtle warning signs.

How to discover what someone may be struggling with beneath the surface.

And how to empower individuals to seek support without shame.