Unmasking Stigmas of Mental Health Together Nonprofit Foundation
Join us in our mission to create suicide awareness and prevention.
About Piercing Heart Foundation, Inc.
The Organization
Piercing Heart Foundation, Inc. is a nonprofit community organization of Prince George's County, MD that is dedicated to providing suicide awareness and prevention to military personnel, veterans, and their families.
Services provided:
· Psychotherapy
·Pharmacological interventions
· Annual scholarships to college students who are pursuing a career in mental health
· Educational seminars on crisis intervention
· Preceptorship to nursing and medical students who are pursuing a career in mental health.
The organization was founded by Lateshia Jackson CRNP-PMH in November 2023 following the death by suicide of a close family friend, Private Pierce Lewter IV. Piercing Heart Foundation, Inc. is dedicated in memory of Private Pierce Lewter IV who died by suicide on June 27, 2023 and Corporal Alfred Brown who died by suicide in January 1984.
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Our Founder
Lateshia Jackson is a Certified Registered Nurse Practitioner who specializes in Psychiatry Mental Health (CRNP-PMH). She is the director and founder of Piercing Heart Foundation, Inc. She holds a Bachelor of Science in Psychology from Southern University and A&M College, Bachelor of Science in Nursing from Howard University, and a Masters of Science in Nursing (Nurse Practitioner) with a specialty in Mental Health from University of Maryland Baltimore.
She is board certified by the American Nurses Credentialing Center (ANCC) and credentialed to practice as a licensed psychiatric nurse practitioner in Maryland, District of Columbia, Washington state, and Virginia. She has worked with several established mental health facilities including McLean Hospital in Belmont MA, Grady Hospital in Atlanta, GA, Union Memorial Hospital in Baltimore, MD, INOVA Health System in Leesburg, VA, Catholic Charities in Washington, DC, and George Washington Hospital Center in Washington, DC. She is also the founder and CEO of Transformational Telepsychiatry, LLC (outpatient mental health practice) established in 2018 located in Pikesville, MD.
Lateshia Jackson's interest in mental health awareness began in January 1984 following death by suicide of her uncle Corporal Alfred Brown. He was a 28 year old Marine Corp veteran at the time of his death and had been honorably discharged three years prior to his death. His family recognized he was in distress but was unaware of the best way to address his mental health disparities.
Pierce C. Lewter IV
Private Pierce Lewter IV, completed suicide at the age of 26 in Elkridge, MD. This incident occurred three weeks after he completed a one-year tour in Cuba. He had a previous attempt by overdose in January 2023 but did not receive the necessary treatment. He recognized he was suffering from depression but was overly consumed with the stigma of mental illness and how those he loved would perceive him. The stigma surrounding mental health prevented him from accessing the mental health treatment that could have potentially saved his life.
Alfred Brown
Alfred Brown was raised in Cloutierville, LA. He enlisted in the Marine Corp at 21 years old following the military footsteps of his father who fought in World War II and eldest brother who enlisted in the Army. After his discharge in 1982, he experienced difficulties transitioning to civilian life. This inability to cope resulted in his death by suicide in January 1984.
Our Goal
Our goal is to dispel the stigmas that are centered around mental health by creating a safe environment that enriches our participants and their loved ones with knowledge and resources to aid in the proper treatment of their mental health disorders.
Please help defend those who defend us by igniting hope and unmasking the stigma of mental illness.
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Support Piercing Heart Foundation, Inc. Today
Help us make a difference in the lives of others by making donations to Piercing Heart Foundation, Inc.. Every contribution to this nonprofit foundation counts!