Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy for Veterans

Floor Speech

BREAK IN TRANSCRIPT

Mr. McGUIRE. Mr. Speaker, Charlottesville Hyperbarics has become a frontline in the fight for veterans suffering from the invisible wounds of war.

They recently launched the Hyperbaric Wellness Foundation and have partnered with the HOW Foundation to provide hyperbaric oxygen therapy to veterans battling PTSD or other traumatic brain injury.

Additionally, generous grants from the Department of Veterans Affairs have allowed them to successfully treat over 59 veterans so far this year.

As a Navy SEAL veteran, I have friends who have battled wounds that go deeper than emotion. Advanced imaging now confirms that PTSD is a neurological brain injury. Hyperbaric oxygen therapy, using pure oxygen under pressure, heals these injuries directly and restores brain health.

When I visited the clinic last May, I saw the healing in action. Two of the staff members leading the veterans program are veterans who suffer from PTSD. They went through the program themselves. HBOT changed their lives so completely that they have now dedicated themselves to helping others do the same.

We are still losing over 20 veterans a day to suicide, despite exhaustive and costly efforts to stop it. That is not just a tragedy. It is a call to action.

Hyperbaric oxygen therapy is saving lives and helping veterans rejoin their families, their communities, and the workforce. With sufficient funding and support, we can expand this model across Virginia and across our country. Our veterans deserve a program that can help them.

BREAK IN TRANSCRIPT

Source