PTSD Awareness Month: Emory expands efforts to connect Texas veterans with no-cost treatment

ATLANTA — As PTSD Awareness Month brings renewed attention to the mental health needs of veterans, Emory Healthcare Veterans Program (EHVP), part of Wounded Warrior Project’s Warrior Care Network, is highlighting its growing outreach efforts in Texas to connect more post-9/11 veterans and service members with no-cost treatment for post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and other service-related mental health issues.

Texas is home to more than 1.5 million veterans, one of the largest veteran populations in the country. Even before EHVP launched dedicated outreach efforts in the state, Texas was consistently among the top states where veterans sought treatment through EHVP’s accelerated brain health treatment program, which treats veterans from across the United States. Still, many veterans and families across Texas remain unaware that specialized care is available to them at no cost.

The accelerated brain health treatment program provides two weeks of care for eligible veterans and service members facing PTSD, traumatic brain injury, military sexual trauma, anxiety, depression and related mental health concerns. Treatment, travel, lodging and meals are covered. Care is tailored to each participant and is offered in person at Emory in Atlanta or via telehealth in participating states. Studies of the program have shown reductions in symptoms and improvements in longer-term outcomes. 

“This month is an important reminder that PTSD remains a common and treatable concern among veterans and service members,” says Barbara O. Rothbaum, PhD, professor in the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences at Emory University School of Medicine and director of the Trauma and Anxiety Recovery Program.

“Through this expanded work in Texas, we want more veterans and families to know that compassionate care backed by research is available, and the invisible wounds of service do not have to go untreated. We are here to help,” Rothbaum adds.

A key part of EHVP’s Texas outreach has been establishing a dedicated presence on the ground in the Dallas area through a veteran outreach coordinator who began work there in 2024. The coordinator focuses on building relationships with military installations, veteran-serving organizations and community partners throughout the state. Over the past two years, EHVP outreach efforts have included visits to military installations including Dyess Air Force Base, Sheppard Air Force Base, Fort Cavazos, Fort Sam Houston, Ellington Field Joint Reserve Base and Naval Air Station Joint Reserve Base Fort Worth.

EHVP has also participated in resource fairs, conferences, veteran court programs and community events across Dallas, Austin, Houston, Abilene, San Angelo, Fort Worth and San Antonio. Along the way, the program has strengthened relationships with veteran-serving organizations and community collaborators, including Combined Arms.

EHVP is also building on that community-based outreach in Texas through a coordinated statewide awareness effort designed to reach more service members, veterans and their families. By increasing visibility in key military communities and using a mix of digital and local outreach strategies, the program is helping more Texas veterans learn about and access care. 

The combined outreach effort has already shown measurable growth. EHVP has seen a 33% increase in phone screens, a 58% increase in intake assessments and a 103% increase in veterans from Texas enrolling in care.

“Behind every phone screen, assessment and enrollment is a veteran or family member taking an important step toward healing,” says Rothbaum. “Whether we are reaching veterans in Georgia, Texas or elsewhere across the country, our goal is to help more people find their way to effective care and live the life they envision when they are ready.”

For more information, please visit Emory Healthcare Veterans Program. 

About Emory Healthcare Veterans Program 

Emory Healthcare Veterans Program is an international center of excellence dedicated to healing invisible wounds through innovative clinical care, research and education. EHVP provides expert, collaborative care for eligible post-9/11 veterans who served at least one day after Sept. 11, 2001, and service members, living in any area of the country. Conditions treated include PTSD, TBI, military sexual trauma, depression and anxiety. Treatment in the accelerated brain health treatment program, a two-week condensed therapy program, integrates behavioral health care, including psychiatry and neurology, rehabilitative medicine, wellness and family support. The program also supports the training of behavioral health providers to increase awareness of military-specific treatment needs. EHVP is part of Wounded Warrior Project’s Warrior Care Network, a national network of four academic medical centers serving veterans and their families.