Veteran activist hopes to open Greenville clinic

GREENVILLE, N.C. (WNCT) — Organizations are trying to improve resources for veterans with mental illnesses.

Greenville is home to 16,000 veterans who are treated at the VA Clinic off of Moye Blvd. Half are being treated for PTSD and brain trauma.

Commander James Hooker , US Navy Veteran, is an activist for veteran mental health and says the new Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy is a beneficial treatment for veteran.

"The oxygenated blood goes out to areas where they may not be receiving blood at all, are receiving inadequate blood flow to the it heals the tissue that it can touch as a result of being under pressure," said Hooker.

Commander Hooker has opened a clinic in Durham and because of the large veteran population in Pitt County, he hopes to open a clinic in Greenville in the near future.

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