Nonprofit Erase PTSD Now Officially Launched Yesterday, Thursday, June 23, 2022

The Times Square event aimed to increase funding and accessibility of a novel PTSD treatment for patients nationwide.

As June marks PTSD Awareness Month, the nonprofit organization Erase PTSD Now hosted its official launch event on Thursday, June 23 at the Hard Rock Cafe (1501 Broadway, NY) in Times Square from 4-6 p.m. The goal of this event was to increase awareness and accessibility of the Stellate Ganglion Block (SGB) treatment for Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). Erase PTSD Now hopes to raise enough funds during the event to provide treatment to at least 200 patients in need.

Though used for pain management since 1925, Ukrainian-born and Chicago-based board-certified anesthesiologist and pain specialist, Dr. Eugene Lipov, M.D. adopted SGB for the treatment of PTSD, and has been successfully treating patients since 2006. The procedure delivers ultrasound-guided injections of local anesthetic into the stellate ganglion, a nerve bundle in the neck, to reset a patient’s fight/flight system to its pre-trauma state. According to Dr. Lipov, the treatment has seen remarkable success in patients struggling with PTSD, including sexual assault survivors, veterans and others who’ve experienced extreme trauma.

“There is no longer a need to struggle with PTSD when symptoms can be treated with this minimally-invasive procedure that takes only minutes to perform and can take effect in as little as half an hour,” said Dr. Lipov. “Our focus now is to get this life-saving treatment to as many patients as we can, including to those who can not afford it.”

SGB is not covered by insurance in the U.S. and there is currently a waiting list for PTSD survivors to receive the treatment. Dr. Lipov and Erase PTSD Now seek to raise funds for SGB procedures at this event and beyond, by providing donors with the opportunity to help change lives by sponsoring the procedure for patients in need.

About Erase PTSD Now
Erase PTSD Now is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization dedicated to treating PTSD. Established in 2009, the organization has been committed to sponsoring treatment for the SGB procedure, helping fund ongoing research, and promoting awareness about PTSD symptoms and treatment around the world.