On January 16, 2020, Representative Scott Perry (R-PA) https://perry.house.gov along with Cosponsors Representatives Lee Zeldin (R-NY), Greg Murphy (R-NC), and Dan Crenshaw (R-TX), have introduced the bill “Treatment and Relief through Emerging and Accessible Therapy (TREAT) for PTSD” (H.R. 5648).
According to Representative Perry, “Our current treatments for PTSD are only providing relief to a fraction of affected veterans so some encouraging treatments are being left on the table.”
The Act would require the VA to provide access to “Stellate Ganglion Block” or SCB, a life-saving therapy used to deal with PTSD. SGB therapy is a simple outpatient procedure that has been used since the 1920s to relieve chronic pain.
In 2008, researchers discovered that the treatment which injects an anesthetic agent into nerves in the neck was able to alleviate common PTSD symptoms. These symptoms including hyperarousal, exaggerated startle responses, and anxiety by calming the activation of the patient’s fight or flight response.
Further research found that the physical relief of PTSD symptoms through SGB therapy enable patients to better engage in traditional PTSD treatments, such as talk therapy, and in the long term, has brought relief and healing from PTSD.
As of 2018, only 11 out of 143 VA facilities have reported using the procedure to treat PTSD. Presently, someone suffering with PTSD must fail traditional therapies before SGB can become an option. This bill would remove these roadblocks and ensure that SGB therapy is a front line option and available nationwide.
For more information, go to https://www.congress.gov.