[Congressional Record Volume 172, Number 30 (Thursday, February 12, 2026)]
[House]
[Page H2206]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                 HYPERBARIC OXYGEN THERAPY FOR VETERANS

  (Mr. McGUIRE asked and was given permission to address the House for 
1 minute and to revise and extend his remarks.)
  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.

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