GREENVILLE, N.C. (WNCT) — A special medical treatment used to speed the healing process will be more accessible to veterans in our state who are suffering from traumatic brain injury and posttraumatic stress disorder.

The Community Foundation of NC East launched a campaign on Tuesday to provide hyperbaric oxygen treatment to veterans free of charge.

Hyperbaric Oxygen Treatment, or H-BOT, is a well-established treatment that uses pure oxygen exposure to facilitate healing of things like carbon monoxide poisoning and other sorts of wounds and tissue damage. Now, with the passage of Senate Bill 442, funds will be used to provide H-BOT treatment to veterans in North Carolina.

The bill directs funds through the Community Foundation of NC East to provide treatment to North Carolina veterans suffering from PTSD or brain injuries. Melissa Spain is the CEO of the organization. She said they were eager to adopt this program because North Carolina has one of the largest veteran populations in the country.

“We are currently living with a very sad reality that up to 22 United States veteran suicides are occurring daily. This in itself is the profound reason we have worked diligently to bring us to this long-awaited opportunity,” said Spain.

State Sen. Don Davis along with Congressman Greg Murphy spoke about efforts to pass the bill.

“As a physician, I have found that hyperbaric oxygen therapy can be a very helpful treatment for some people who suffer from PTSD and TBI when nothing else has helped them, and they had nowhere else to turn,” said Murphy.

“There’s an important lesson we learned a long time ago. We must first say ‘thank you,’ and secondly, help provide resources they need in order to cope and truly returning come truly back home,” Davis said.

Davis said the funding will allow the foundation to bring veterans in to apply to try the therapy.

“This is really designed to help us to continue to collect the data to understand the impact of H-BOT therapy,” he said.

Gregg Green is a former Army chaplain. He said H-BOT therapy changed his life after he returned from a deployment with traumatic brain injury and PTSD.

“To be able to sleep and to engage family and friends, again, to learn how to really live again, I mean, that’s, that’s pretty significant, to regain a quality of life where there’s a sense of hope,” said Green.

The Community Foundation of NC East wants people to know if you have a family member or friend suffering from PTSD or traumatic brain injury, reach out to them immediately to apply for this treatment. You can find more information about this program here.