Healing Warriors data show declines in anxiety, pain for service members, vets

Taxpayer-funded behavioral health services having positive impacts in Larimer County

For veteran Charles “Dick” Hall, relief came decades after his service to our country in the form of better sleep. 

From 1950-1954, Hall was part of an elite tactical unit known as a Navy fighter squadron. These are hubs for crews and aircraft to deploy on flight missions. 

Hall didn’t see active combat or, according to him, “do anything exceptional.” He had a notion that because he “didn’t go to war,” he hadn’t earned the right to feel the tough stuff related to his time in the military.

The man who grew up in South Dakota and never saw water before the Navy, then quickly ticked through his post-service experiences. He had a family. He worked. He retired. And he played lots of golf.

“I didn’t deserve it,” he said, wearing a blue windbreaker and black shiny cowboy boots.

Fast forward to about 2023, and the unimaginable happened. Seven people close to Hall – among them his wife, sister, two children, and an 18-month grandbaby – died within seven months.

“Depression was my friend,” said Hall, who still wears his wedding band.

Through all of that, someone with the Honor Flight program turned him onto the Healing Warriors Program. 

The nonprofit was founded in March 2012 and has its headquarters in Fort Collins, with two other satellite clinics across Colorado. To interrupt factors leading to suicide, its team provides no-cost, non-narcotic therapy utilizing acupuncture, craniosacral therapy, and healing touch for veterans, service members, and their families. 

Sleep is a challenge for him, and Hall uses a walker because of arthritis in the base of his spine. After his usual treatments at a November 2025 appointment, however, Hall walked on his own – unassisted. 

“If I can get some sleep, it’s a whole new world,” he added. 

He tells everyone he can about Healing Warriors.

Looking deeper at Healing Touch

On a windy day in November 2025, Healing Touch Certified Practitioner Jackie Cooper was welcoming clients in a warmly lit room at Healing Warriors’ headquarters in Fort Collins. 

She begins most sessions with a question: “How is your sleep?” It creates a comfortable and less-intimidating entry point into a broader conversation about a clients’ physical and mental health. This helps Cooper know where to focus her efforts.

Fully clothed, clients lay down on a table. Cooper sweeps her hands about three to four inches over their body – working to balance their energy and promote their body’s natural ability to heal. 

Data show these treatments work. Clients reported feeling 70.93% less anxiety, 66.87% less emotional discomfort, and 61.78% less pain.

“For us, the biggest obstacle is overcoming skepticism that it works,” Program Manager Tim Aichholz said. That is, until people are willing to try it.

“We got a gentleman on the table and finally did Healing Touch. He was shocked at how effective it was.” 

Aichholz, an Army veteran who blew out his knees, attested to the effectiveness of Healing Warriors’ treatments. “I’ve had more pain-free days in the past four years than I have in the last 30.” 

Healing touch is a standardized, multidimensional healing treatment developed by a Navy nurse. It takes a person out of fight, flight, or freeze mode, while allowing emotions to surface, stress to be released, and empowering their body to engage in natural self-healing, said Executive Director Corinna Kromer, also a multi-credentialed practitioner.

Cooper’s parents were all veterans, so it felt natural for her to offer Healing Touch techniques to improve service members’ sleep, PTSD, and interpersonal trauma. 

To each client she offers a gift of words and action: “You have served all of us. Now let me serve you.” 

Years of community investment at a glance 

Between 2019 to 2025, Larimer County Behavioral Health Services has awarded the Healing Warriors Program seven Impact Fund grants totaling $317,131.

Supported by Larimer County’s behavioral health sales-use tax, the Healing Warriors Program transformed local dollars into life-altering care during the 2024 grant cycle (Oct. 1, 2024-Sept. 30, 2025). By optimizing appointment reminders and outreach, the program didn't just book more sessions – it kept vulnerable heroes from slipping through the cracks.

The results speak for themselves. Local services delivered a 62.24% average decrease in pain, anxiety, and emotional distress for 315 veterans and spouses across Larimer County, according to the organization’s 2024 final grant report.

Funding also allowed Healing Warriors to expand its outreach, particularly to senior veterans – a demographic highly vulnerable to trauma and deeply in need of non-narcotic care. Seniors made up nearly half of all individuals served.

Here is a breakdown of the 315 clients served through 2,034 free treatment sessions (an average of 6-7 sessions per person): 

• Fort Collins: 174 clients
• Loveland: 83 clients
• Wellington: 14 clients
• Timnath: 4 clients
• Estes Park: 1 client

The organization also tracks changes in symptoms by asking clients to rate themselves on a scale of 0-10, both pre- and post-treatment, across all three treatment modalities. For 2025, clients reported the following decrease in symptoms:

Acupuncture

• Anxiety by 50.77%
• Emotional Discomfort by 49.99%
• Pain by 51.60%

Craniosacral therapy

• Anxiety by 62.42%
• Emotional Discomfort by 55.76%
• Pain by 52.70%

Healing touch therapy

• Anxiety by 70.93%
• Emotional Discomfort by 66.87%
• Pain by 61.78%

Affected by the shifting state and national behavioral health funding landscape, Healing Warriors had to discontinue free services for family members of service members and veterans at its other clinics. Because of the local Impact Fund dollars, however, they were able to preserve that service in Larimer County. 

In time, the team also has aspirations to expand its services to include first responders. 

As several staff members talked about the impact of their grant-funded work, a couple of themes came up again and again. 

They encouraged not only their clients but the community to keep an open mind and be willing to recognize different approaches to wellness. Healing Warriors Program’s services are intended to be complementary to other forms of care – not replace them. 

And they shared their gratitude for taxpayers. 

“I just feel incredibly proud, living in Larimer County. The behavioral health services? I think it’s a God-send for all people. It represents a huge opportunity to support one another,” said Annie Lindgren, grants manager for the Healing Warriors Program.