TreatNOW End-of-2025 Update

Failing to treat brain wounds can lead to degraded lives, escalating healthcare costs, depression, and suicide. Images of successes and the history of service member suicides and effects of negligence can be found here.

Press Release: Washington, DC 
7 January 2026

BOTTOM LINE UP FRONT: DoD and the VA should immediately treat brain-wounded Service Members with Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy and other proven alternative therapies to stop the suicide and opioid overdose epidemics and bolster readiness imperiled by untreated brain wounds. The evidence of safety and efficacy is backed by over 28 clinical trials. Oversight of Veteran suicides seems to be left to family members, friends, some not-for-profits, and the media since Congress, the VA and DoD allow the carnage to continue.

1. TreatNOW has escalated Congressional legislative progress in 2025. Senate members have joined House members on pushing for the use of Hyperbaric Oxygenation to treat and heal brain injuries. Active Bills being considered are:

*H. R. 1336. Veterans National Traumatic Brain Injury Treatment Act. Rep. Greg Murphy (R-NC) (for himself, Mr. Davis of North Carolina, Mrs. Kiggans of Virginia, Ms. Strickland, Mr. Wittman, Ms. Malliotakis, Ms. Ross, Mr. Van Orden, and Mr. Biggs of Arizona) introduced February 13, 2025. It was voted out of the full Veterans Affairs Committee and sent to the floor for a House vote. It directs the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to establish a pilot program to furnish hyperbaric oxygen therapy to a veteran who has a traumatic brain injury or post-traumatic stress disorder.

*S.2737 – Veterans National Traumatic Brain Injury Treatment Act. Senator Tuberville (R-AL) Introduced in Senate (09/09/2025)  It would require the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to implement a pilot program to furnish hyperbaric oxygen therapy to certain veterans through community care providers, and for other purposes.

*S.862 – HBOT Access Act of 2025. Senator Tuberville (R-AL) Introduced in Senate (09/09/2025) It would amend title 38, United States Code, to direct the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to furnish hyperbaric oxygen therapy to certain veterans with traumatic brain injury or post-traumatic stress disorder.

*S.3130 – Veterans TBI Adaptive Care Opportunities Nationwide Act of 2025. Senators McCormick (R-PA) and Rosen (D-NV) introduced on November 6, 2025 a Bill instructing that the Secretary of Veterans Affairs shall establish a grant program (to be known as the “TBI Innovation Grant Program”) to award grants to eligible entities for the development, implementation, and evaluation of approaches and methodologies for prospective randomized control trials for neurorehabilitation treatments for the treatment of chronic mild TBI (in this section referred to “mTBI”) in veterans. The emphasis shall be on designing and testing novel or integrative treatments for mTBI that prioritize patient-centered care, including non-pharmacological therapies.

*H. R. 72. TBI and PTSD Treatment Act. Mr. Biggs of Arizona (for himself, Mr. Crane, and Mr. Gosar) introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Veterans’ Affairs. The Bill would amend title 38, United States Code, to direct the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to furnish hyperbaric oxygen therapy to veterans with traumatic brain injury or post-traumatic stress disorder.

TreatNOW is calling for the following revisions and additions in all Bills that would call for revision of safety provisions and establish immediate funding of treatments of eligible Veterans while conducting research.

• Incorporation of the recommendations in CBO Cost Estimate Report, June 11, 2025. CBO estimates that roughly 6,000 veterans would participate in the program at an average cost of $27,000 for a course of 40 treatments. The bill would establish a fund to accept donations for the program; however, CBO anticipates that contributions would be minimal and would not significantly offset the costs of the program. In total, CBO estimates that the temporary program would cost $158 million over the three-year period.
  
  
• Validation of “pay-fors” that would use already appropriated funds from Suicide Prevention set-asides and the use of MIPRs [Military Interdepartmental Purchase Requests] to move money into Community Care providers to pay for HBOT Invoices from hyperbaric treatment facilities treating service members.
  
  
• We are in general support of these amendments proposed relative to safety:
  
  
  • Strengthen Regulatory Enforcement: Halt imports of unapproved pressure vessels and oxygen concentrators and investigate foreign distributors evading FDA oversight. 
    
    
  • Support compliance with ASME, NFPA, and FDA standards for all hyperbaric equipment.
    
    
  • Support Ethical and independent Research: Ensure studies are IRB-approved, transparent, and designed to produce publishable, peer-reviewed data.
    
    
  • Educate Stakeholders: Collaborate with manufacturers, HBOT associations, facilities, the ACHM, IHMF, AHI, IBUM and other foundations to educate veterans, providers, and the public about safe HBOT practices. 
    
    
  • NOTE: cf. American College of Hyperbaric Medicine (ACHM) Safety CAQ for definitive standards for Safety and Operations of HBOT facilities.
    
    
  • Ensure the VA informs Veterans about the availability of HBOT for TBI/PTSD as one of the treatments available to them. Lack of informed consent prevents Veterans from knowing about HBOT as a safe and effective treatment. This is equally true for Diabetic Foot Ulcers, an approved and insured Indication.

2.    For the last decade, TEN states have passed legislation calling for HBOT for TBI and/or PTSD: OK, TX, IN, AZ, KY, FL, NC, WY, MD, and VA. In 2025, THREE more states passed similar legislation: North Dakota (HCR 3011), Tennessee (HJR 0001), and Missouri (HB 262 spear headed by USAF Veteran Dale Lutzen)

3.    We have been helping craft legislation in TWELVE (12) additional states with anticipated action in 2026: Iowa, Nebraska, Kansas, Michigan, Indiana (funding), New Jersey, Ohio, New York, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Oklahoma (funding), and Texas (funding) are active with HBOT legislation anticipated in 2026.

4.    SAFETY has been a major focus in 2025 due to the two deaths attributed to negligence leading to fires in Michigan and Arizona. In both cases, the accidents were preventable if proper safety procedures had been followed. Though no official reports have been published, Team member Tom Fox has issued an in-depth analysis based on his on-the-ground reporting sponsored by Shannon Kenitz of AHI and others.

5.    The American College of Hyperbaric Medicine has prepared a set of up-to-date Safety Documents that incorporate an independent, objective, scientific compendium of the best safety procedures followed worldwide. The ACHM has already begun initial accreditation and certification procedures for its members and is available for any clinic seeking the imprimatur of the ACHM.

6.    Once again, Veterans Service Organizations like the American Legion, the Veterans of Foreign Wars, the Air Force Sergeants Association, Green Beret Foundation, and others have used language to Congress calling for the use of HBOT to help stop the service member suicide epidemic.

7.    We continued working relationships with the Wounded Warrior BATTALION/EAST at Camp Lejeune to treat brain wounded Marines before they are medically retired from service. To date, over two dozen Marines have participated and have shown significant medical success. We have been as successful with dozens of Special Operations Warriors on active duty: SEALs, Force Recon, EOD, Special Forces, Air Force FACs, and Rangers. Most have been able to stay on active duty, saving millions of dollars for each successful treatment. Importantly, SpecOps Warriors report the end of suicidal ideation, though many report suicidal ideation when they come to us. And we can’t forget the organizations that are donating to those treatments: Marines Helping Heroes Foundation and the Anne Arundel County Detachment of the MARINE CORPS LEAGUE; America’s Mighty Warriors; Grunt Style; the HOW Foundation; the 22Project; Stand for the Troops; the HUGS Project; KOTERRA; the Martin R. Hoffmann Fund; and the many Foundations affiliated with the 170+ TreatNOW Coalition clinics across the U.S.

8.    The University of South Florida in Tampa, led by HBOT expert and TreatNOW Team member Dr. Joseph diTuri, kicked off an RCT using HBOT for Veterans with TBI/PTSD. Using $28 Million provided by the Florida legislature, the goal of this blinded, adaptive, randomized, placebo-controlled clinical trial is to investigate the use of hyperbaric oxygen as a therapy to treat mild to moderate traumatic brain injury/concussion in Veterans and active-duty service military. For more information about this clinical trial, you can contact USF via email at: MCOM-hbotstudy@usf.edu or call at (813) 396-9200. [NOTE: all participants will be treated. The control group, once their results are unblinded at the end of their treatment, are eligible for full HBOT treatment.]

9.    TreatNOW published 30 BLOGs in 2025 on topics as diverse as Suicide Prevention to a Letter to SEC VA Doug Collins with suggestions on how to immediately reverse the Suicide Epidemic.

10. TreatNOW Coalition HBOT clinics now total over 172. Since 2010, the Coalition has helped heal over 33,000 patients, among them over 12,500 Veterans, including over 750 Special Operators.

11. We have been tracking servicemember suicide numbers for over a decade. Since 9/11 we have lost an estimated 159,000 service members to suicide [VA numbers]. Over the last decade, suicide prevention programs have cost taxpayers billions of dollars. And the suicide rate is increasing while the standard of care is piecemeal and episodic. We developed this chart to make the numbers come to life.

12.          Kentucky (5th state to legislate) expanded its statewide network of treatment hospital Wound Care Centers to five with four additional planned in 2026 with support of the $1.5 million in state treatment funds. Hospitals under contract to use their HBOT facilities to treat TBI is a first, thanks to the efforts of TreatNOW’s State Legislative director, Eric Koleda.

13.         A neuroscience team at the University of Pittsburgh, led by Drs. Pravat Mandal, PhD and neurosurgeon Joseph Maroon, MD, using magnetic resonance spectroscopy, have demonstrated and published a deficiency of glutathione (GSH), the main antioxidant in the brain, in patients with Alzheimer’s (AD) and Parkinson’s (PD). This supports oxidative stress as the progenitor in AD, PD and also, they believe, in traumatic encephalopathy syndrome (TES) from repetitive hits to the head. Supported by a grant from the Chuck Noll Foundation, they are enrolling former NFL players, Navy SEALs, Army Rangers and SWCC operators in an IRB approved study to scan non-invasively for glutathione deficiency and also assesses memory, neurocognition and the microbiome. If deficient in GSH as anticipated, participants will receive for the first time an oral over the counter supplement, gamma glutamyl cysteine (glyteine) for one year and then be re-evaluated with MRS and cognitive studies for improvement. This is a first in kind study.

14.         In 2025, Aviv Clinics in central Florida expanded its partnership with KOTERRA, a nonprofit dedicated to healing Veterans with brain injuries and related conditions. Through this collaboration, we were able to provide our three-month medical program at no charge to two Veterans in need, with the shared goal of serving many more in the future. Our commitment is to serving complex neurological conditions. AVIV is an independent clinic that primarily treats off-label conditions like TBI, PTSD, stroke, and long COVID.

15.         As part of building momentum, TreatNOW is encouraging all clinics to become Preferred Providers to their local VA so that they can be eligible for repayments on both on-label use of HBOT, and for hoped-for VA payment of Invoices for TBI/PTSD.

NEWS and MEDIA

• Boy 5 dies in HBOT chamber fire at Michigan medical facility. And an HBOT clinic owner died in a chamber fire in Lake Havasu City, AZ. Both fires were due to negligence and safety violations. HBOT is one of the safest devices approved by the FDA for Indications like wound healing, burns, and diabetic foot ulcers.
  
  
• Owing to legislation passed in Kentucky, hospital-based HBOT is now available for Veterans. the Jennie Stuart Medical Center is offering HBOT for TBI Veterans around Ft Campbell, Kentucky. For more information, call the JSH Wound Healing Center at 270- 886-6412 or HBOT4KYVETS at 502-938-1300.
  
  
• Missouri Gov. Mike Kehoe signed a law establishing funding support to study and potentially expand HBOT access for veterans with PTSD and brain injuries, reflecting growing state interest in alternative veteran therapies.
  
  
• In August 2025 the FDA issued a letter to health care providers urging safe use of HBOT devices and adherence to manufacturer instructions following reports of serious injuries and deaths tied to HBOT chamber fire.
  
  
• September 30, 2025 The Philadelphia Flyers and NexGen Hyperbaric (“NexGen”), a leader in hyperbaric oxygen therapy (“HBOT”), today announced a partnership extension for the 2025–26 season.
  
  
• CBS Sunday Morning aired a program on HBOT: Over 300 victims with at least PTSD from the October 7th Israeli attack are being treated with HBOT.

16.         Nov 7, 2025 Dr Paul Harch and John Salcedo Documentary, Undeniable Evidence: Clean Medicine, Dirty Politics: The Hyperbaric Institute released an award-winning documentary which asserts that the VA’s lack of coverage for HBOT contributes to veteran suicide rates — and calls for congressional review and legislative action. A screening was held at the National Press Club in Washington, D.C., generating national attention for HBOT advocacy.

 HBOT SCIENCE in 2025

These studies on the use of HBOT for TBI/PTSD/Concussion were published in 2025:

Danan D, Grosskopf Y, Mayo A, Efrati S, Kutz I, Lang E, Alon U, Doenyas-Barak K. Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy for PTSD: Threshold Effect for Sustained Symptom Improvement in a Biologically Based Treatment. Brain Behav. 2025 Aug;15(8):e70757. doi: 10.1002/brb3.70757. PMID: 40847457; PMCID: PMC12373514.

Denham DW, Denham MA. EEG-based brain biomarker supports hyperbaric oxygen therapy for acute concussions Undersea Hyperb Med. 2025 Second Quarter; 52(2):81-92.

Weaver, L.K., Ziemnik, R., Deru, K. et al. (2025). A double-blind randomized trial of hyperbaric oxygen for persistent symptoms after brain injury. Sci Rep 15, 6885. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-025-86631-6

Shabi Shlifer A, Suzin G, Shorer R, Lang E, Finci S, Elman-Shina K, Doenyas-Barak K, Efrati S. Hyperbaric oxygen therapy improves post-concussion symptoms in adults with childhood traumatic brain injury: a retrospective cohort study. Front Neurol. 2025;16:1641033. doi:10.3389/fneur.2025.1641033

Peterson T, Burgin S, Sherwin R, Strale F Jr. Hyperbaric oxygen therapy for severe pediatric traumatic brain injury: a secondary psychometric and non-parametric analysis of a retrospective case series. Cureus. 2025 Aug 13;17(8):e242. doi:10.7759/cureus.c242.

Borlongan CV, Hadanny A. Why provide 40 sessions of hyperbaric oxygen therapy to patients with traumatic brain injury? Med Gas Res. 2025;15:132–3. doi:10.4103/mgr.MEDGASRES-D-24-00029.

Shahid, Sufyan, et al., Hyperbaric oxygen therapy (HBOT) for neurocognitive deficits following traumatic brain injury: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Annals of Medicine & Surgery 87(11):p 7490-7498, November 2025. | DOI: 10.1097/MS9.0000000000003902

Traumatic Brain Injury Center of Excellence. (2025). Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy and TBI: Information Paper [report]. U.S. Department of Defense. Military Health System.

NOTE: This last Report is included for several purposes. Primarily, Congress and the medical community need to be aware that the Report continues to propagate the disproven conclusions:

As described in detail below, evidence from both military and civilian studies does not support using hyperbaric oxygen therapy to manage TBI. Studies on HBOT for TBI vary considerably in methodology, rigor, and sample population. DOD-sponsored studies of active duty service members with mild TBI history have collectively shown either 1) no significant differences in symptoms between those who underwent HBOT and those who completed a sham control treatment; or 2) improvements observed after HBOT diminish in the months after treatment ends.

Further, the Report is included to once again call attention to the reliance of the VA and DoD on a discredited definition of Hyperbaric Medicine used by the Undersea and Hyperbaric Medical Society (UHMS) that even the UHMS has abandoned in its constantly shifting attempts to discredit certain types of hyperbaric chambers and users. Over two dozen peer-reviewed publications attest to the safety and efficacy of HBOT for TBI/PTSD/PCS.

TreatNOW and numerous other organizations with far more scientific and professional integrity than the UHMS on this issue have called on the UHMS to come home to objectivity, science, and truth. That would mean, at a minimum, that the UHMS issue an accurate definition of Hyperbaric medicine and that they retract publications that depend on their discredited science to “prove” that HBOT for TBI/PTSD/PCS is unproven and ineffective. The UHMS owes it to Veterans to argue in favor of worldwide use of HBOT to help heal brain wounds, and to make it an approved Indication at the FDA and CMS.

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The TreatNOW Mission is ending service member suicides. Along the way, we have learned that we can end suicidal ideation, help end symptoms of PTSD, get patients off most of their drugs, and heal brain wounds to end the effects of Concussion, BLAST injury, mild TBI, Persistent Post Concussive Syndrome, and polytrauma from AHI, Burn Pits, and COVID. No Veteran or civilian has ever been killed while undergoing HBOT treatment for TBI/PTSD.

Information provided by TreatNOW.org does not constitute a medical recommendation. It is intended for informational purposes only, and no claims, either real or implied, are being made.