Download the 2025 Impact Report
Post-traumatic stress is an injury, not a weakness and not a disorder a person can think their way out of. It is the brain’s response to repeated exposure to the worst days of other people’s lives, and like other injuries, it responds to treatment when treatment is available. That belief is the starting point for everything the Chip Terry Fund did in 2025.
First responders carry a risk most people never face. A study in the Journal of Occupational Health Psychology found that roughly 20% of firefighters and paramedics meet the criteria for PTSD at some point in their careers, compared with a lifetime risk of about 6.8% in the general population. The people we count on in our worst moments are far more likely to be injured by the work itself. When that injury goes unrecognized or untreated, it reaches their families, their relationships, and their ability to keep doing the job.
In 2025, the Chip Terry Fund met that need head on.
What 2025 made possible
Over the year, the Fund served 150 first responders through a combination of stellate ganglion block injections and referrals to therapy, sleep treatment, hormone support, couples and family counseling, and resilience retreats. Together those 150 people received more than 554 treatments, sessions, and retreat experiences. The Fund covered the full cost of all of it, $295,923 in total, an average of $1,973 for each person helped.
Alongside that direct care, the Fund held 51 trauma-focused classes and peer support sessions, with audiences that ranged from five people in a room to 500.
Behind each of those numbers is a person who found help they might not otherwise have reached, or been able to afford.
“Through Jo and the Chip Terry Fund I was able to start a journey to healing that I didn’t think was possible. She immediately made help available to me that I couldn’t afford but it saved my life.” — Law Enforcement Officer
Stellate ganglion blocks: fast relief, measured carefully
In 2025 the Fund fully covered stellate ganglion blocks for 76 first responders. The block is a physician-administered injection that can quiet the body’s overactive stress response, often within minutes.
The results were tracked, not assumed. Every one of those 76 completed a PCL-5 assessment before treatment, the standard evidence-based measure of PTSD symptom severity, and every one scored in the range where treatment is recommended. Of the 28 who returned a follow-up assessment, all 28 reported improvement, and 89% had dropped below the threshold for recommended treatment.
“It is a life-changing procedure. The procedure takes thirty seconds. Thirty seconds to feel relief.” — Law Enforcement Officer
Care that continues after the first call
Recovery rarely ends with a single intervention. In 2025 the Fund connected first responders to 257 outpatient therapy sessions, 23 inpatient sessions, 139 couples or family therapy sessions, 8 sleep therapy treatments, and 6 hormone replacement treatments, covering the cost of each.
The Fund also sent first responders to intensive retreats. Twelve attended a Project Sanctuary retreat, and seven walked the Camino de Santiago, an 11-day therapeutic hike across Spain that pairs reflection with peer support. First responders referred to Save a Warrior had their program costs covered as well.
“Walking the Camino was a gift I didn’t know I needed. Each step quieted the noise and made space for reflection and healing, and the connections built through shared miles and honest conversations turned strangers into lifelong friends.” — Firefighter
Education that reaches people before the crisis
Often the first step is simply understanding what is happening in your own brain. The Fund’s educational presentations help first responders and their families recognize symptoms, understand the science, and learn how to find care. Among those who attended a workshop on suicide prevention in the fire service, 98% said the information was useful and informative, and 78% said it gave them a chance to practice new skills.
“The science behind PTSD and how it impacts the brain’s ability to function was very beneficial to me. I was now able to understand the why and how behind what I had been experiencing for nearly a quarter of a century.” — Law Enforcement Officer
What comes next
Every block funded, every session covered, and every class taught in 2025 came back to one idea: that the injury first responders carry is treatable, and that no one should go without care because they could not find it or could not afford it.
If you are a first responder, or you love one, the Chip Terry Fund is here to help. Reach out and start the conversation.
And if you want to stand behind the people who stand watch for the rest of us, your gift goes directly to their care. In 2025, helping one first responder cost an average of $1,973.
Photos by Katie Woodring.