CHICAGO, IL –– Erase PTSD Now, a national nonprofit dedicated to expanding access to innovative trauma treatment, announced that its treatment waitlist has fallen to 20 individuals.
The milestone follows years of donor support, provider partnerships, and growing awareness of Stellate Ganglion Block (SGB), an outpatient procedure used to help calm the body’s overactive fight-or-flight response.
Recent funding through the Illinois Department of Veterans Affairs Veterans Cash Grant Program will help eligible Illinois veterans access SGB treatment while allowing other charitable funds to support veterans, first responders, survivors, and others affected by trauma nationwide.
Since 2020, Erase PTSD Now has invested more than $2.4 million to help over 1,400 people receive treatment they otherwise may not have been able to afford.
“For years, our goal has been simple: no one should have to wait for hope because they cannot afford treatment,” said Coleen LaCosta, Executive Director of Erase PTSD Now. “Bringing our waitlist to its lowest point ever demonstrates what can happen when science, philanthropy, and compassion come together.”
SGB targets the sympathetic nervous system, which controls the body’s automatic stress response. Following trauma, that system can remain persistently activated, contributing to symptoms such as hypervigilance, anxiety, sleep disruption, difficulty concentrating, and physical distress.
The minimally invasive procedure typically takes approximately 15 minutes and is performed by a trained medical professional using image guidance. SGB is not a cure for PTSD or a replacement for mental health care, but it may provide meaningful symptom relief and help some individuals engage more effectively in therapy and recovery.
A growing body of research continues to examine the role of SGB in trauma care, including its potential use alongside trauma-focused psychotherapy.
With its waitlist approaching elimination, Erase PTSD Now is expanding its focus on national education, public awareness, partnerships, and storytelling.
The organization is currently welcoming veterans, first responders, healthcare professionals, researchers, trauma survivors, advocates, and other potential guests for its podcast, Erase PTSD Now: Erasing the Silence.
Those interested in being considered as a podcast guest may complete the Podcast Guest Interest Form.
Whether trauma stems from military service, childhood adversity, sexual assault, domestic violence, first responder service, medical trauma, or another life experience, the organization’s guiding belief remains the same:
No one should be denied access to care because they cannot afford it.
One scholarship recipient described the impact simply: “I don’t feel like a different person. I just feel like the version of me that can finally breathe.”
About Erase PTSD Now
Erase PTSD Now is a national 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization dedicated to expanding access to Stellate Ganglion Block treatment, supporting research, educating the public, and removing financial barriers for people living with the effects of trauma.
Erase PTSD Now has earned Candid Platinum Transparency recognition and a 4-Star Charity Navigator rating.
Media Contact
Coleen LaCosta
Executive Director, Erase PTSD Now
773-683-1211
coleen@eraseptsdnow.org
www.eraseptsdnow.org