Hyperbaric oxygen therapy (HBOT) is one of the safe, alternative therapies the BART Foundation believes may help brain injury survivors. One way we fulfill our mission is by carefully watching global research and clinical trial outcomes and sharing that information in user-friendly language with the TBI/ABI community. Perhaps if HBOT becomes more widely accepted as a treatment option, TBI/ABI survivors will be able to gain better access to this life-changing treatment.
We wanted to share information we recently reviewed from journalist Lindsay Allen of WDRB in Lexington, Kentucky. We’ve included sections of the original article below. To read the full piece and watch recorded video segments, visit the WDRB website.
Free treatment for veterans with PTSD is now available after $1.5 million in Kentucky funding
An estimated 12,000 Kentucky veterans suffer from traumatic brain injuries and PTSD, but $1.5 million in state money is now available to help them using a specific kind of treatment not offered through the VA.
And the state investment is all thanks to a local veteran’s family, who fought for years to get it approved.
That veteran, Col. Ronald Ray, was a highly decorated United States Marine and a lawyer and went on to serve on two presidential commissions.
But the wounds he suffered in war would go on to severely impact his life some decades later. Ray’s widow, Eunice, tried everything she could to help her husband at the advice of doctors, including Hyperbaric Oxygen therapy, which gives patients pure oxygen in a pressurized chamber.
Eric Koledia, Ronald Ray’s brother-in-law, said they witnessed firsthand what TBI does when it’s untreated. But they were refused HBOT treatment for Ray in Louisville. Instead, they had to travel to Panama and Florida.
“I became frustrated because I thought, ‘Why would a person who is a veteran, who’s given so much, not be able to walk in and get the treatments?'” Eunice Ray said.
That set off a mission for Eunice Ray and Koleda. Together, they fought for the state legislature to approve HBOT for Veterans in Kentucky. Their efforts worked, and not only that, but during the last session, lawmakers dedicated $1.5 million to pay for it. All of the treatment would be at no cost to veterans who qualify, thanks to the approved state money.
The free HBOT therapy is now available to qualifying Kentucky veterans at hospitals in Louisville, Winchester, and even in southern Indiana. Arnold said the treatments can help to address the veteran suicide rate, which the latest data shows is 17 per day in the U.S.
In her late husband’s memory, Eunice Ray is urging veterans to take action and reach out for help.
“If I could help one veteran who’s already given so much … not have to go through this, oh my goodness, it would be such a tribute to Ron,” she said. “It could be life-changing to them, life-lengthening and life-enriching.”
If you are a veteran and want to learn more about the treatment, click here. You’ll be taken to the HBOT4KYVETS website. They have partnered with the TreatNOW Coalition, a nationwide network of veterans, doctors, clinicians, economists, and activists on a mission to save America’s veterans from the suicide and opioid epidemics.
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