Oklahoma approves treatment of Veterans with Hyperbaric Oxygen Treatments
Thanks to IHMA efforts and committed members
Originally aired May 14, 2014 on Oklahoma City’s Fox affiliate KOKH-TV, Channel 25. Chronicle’s the story of vet Sgt. Chris Gregg’s recovery from PTSD via HBOT, provided free of charge by The Patriot Clinic, created under the incredible leadership of Dr William Duncan of the International Hyperbaric Medical Association.
The Oklahoma House and Senate voted unanimously to adopt this historic legislation.
Governor Fallin’s action in signing SB1604 demonstrates the state’s willingness to lead the nation in creating veteran recovery. Historically it has been state innovations that have led to federal program improvements.
Oklahoma State University and the University of Oklahoma have both participated with the International Hyperbaric Medical Foundation in research and publication of hyperbaric treatment results for brain injury and PTSD. The veteran community and 45th Infantry have all seen veterans recover as a result of this treatment.
Governor Fallin also thanked the National Foundation for Women Legislators for their endorsement of this treatment and encouragement for the bill. Thanks to NFWL’s efforts, Governor Fallin had previously sponsored the IHMA’s TBI Treatment Act which passed the U.S. House unanimously four times while she served as a member of the U.S. House of Representatives. The TBI Treatment Act was brought to the Senate Floor by Senator Inhofe on two occasions. Veterans Administration objections prevented it becoming law.
Oklahoma has over 60,000 veterans who have been injured in war. The IHMF-designed OKVRP program can be instituted and quickly deployed and, with current hyperbaric capacity within the state, 1,000 veterans can be treated per year. The IHMF, with the passage of this bill, has a plan to increase that number to 5,000 veterans by the end of next year.
Fortunately the science is clear. The treatment’s biological impact is understood to the physiological, molecular and genetic level. The correct treatment protocol, the same protocol used by the IHMF in our national NBIRR study (NCT01105962) that OSU Medical School participated in, has now been validated and positive results published in numerous studies, whenever the actual protocol was used, in both with humans and animals. Additionally the protocol results have been replicated internationally. Add that to the fact that hundreds of physicians have administered this protocol and thousands of patients have been treated effectively over the past 25 years, it becomes clear that creation of a pathway to permit effective treatment has been needed for a long time.
The main barrier has been the myth that has persisted for over a century that there is no treatment for brain insults. Fortunately that myth is not true. Oklahoma’s legislation creates the pathway to dispel the myth, nullify medical politics and ground treatment for brain insults and PTSD in science.
The potential economic impact of delivering effective treatment for brain injury is best demonstrated by hyperbaric medicine’s impact on the cost of diabetic foot wound in Medicare. The International Hyperbaric Medical Association got diabetic foot wound treatment with hyperbaric oxygen therapy approved by Medicare in 2002, which prevents 75% of all amputations. Today, 12 years after it was adopted, the nation has doubled its hyperbaric treatment capacity and Medicare is saving an estimated $384 million per year by not chopping off people’s feet, while only reaching about 11% of those who could be saved. More complete adoption of hyperbaric treatments would easily yield $3 billion in savings from diabetic foot amputations alone.
Untreated brain insults are far more expensive and more destructive to people’s lives than diabetes.
Today, in Oklahoma, the first official step has been taken to begin to solve the single most expensive public health problem in America, untreated brain insults.
Data will be collected from treatment results and will be utilized to validate and perfect comprehensive protocols designed to maximize an individual’s recovery. Additionally, long term outcomes will tracked to ensure that the protocols are cost effective. The IHMF’s National Brain Injury Rescue and Rehabilitation project (NBIRR) was established in 2003 to meet these objectives. NBIRR also includes civilian treatment results not covered by this legislation.
The FDA has issued an Investigational New Drug number (IND) for HBOT for traumatic brain injury and the IHMF’s national study which grants permission to conduct research which will go towards the eventual addition of adding traumatic brain injury to the other approved indications for brain injury and non-healing wounds. Hyperbaric oxygen therapy is already approved for 3 acute brain insults and 3 kinds of chronic non-healing wounds, one of which is also neurological.
This is KEY:
The Oklahoma State Fund for treatment must be filled with charity donations.
Two foundations have stepped up to raise money for Oklahoma, since no individual gets a tax deduction for giving the state of Oklahoma money.
These are:
The International Hyperbaric Medical Foundation IHMF,
sponsor of the NBIRR-1 study, with 30 sites across the nation.
For donations, please mail your check to:
International Hyperbaric Medical Foundation, 8210 Cinder Bed Road Ste C-3, Lorton, VA 22079
(703) 339-0900
Put “Oklahoma Veteran Recovery Plan” or OKVRP in the memo line.
or DONATE SAFELY ON-LINE
http://www.hyperbaricmedicalfoundation.org
The Hugs Project – delivering care packages to the troops for free – from Oklahoma.
For donations, please mail your check to:
The Hugs Project, PO Box 30326, Midwest City OK 73110 (405) 651-8359
Put “Oklahoma Veteran Recovery Plan” or OKVRP in the memo line.
www.theHugsProject.com
Funds will be used to treat injured veterans immediately, with a portion held for the state fund to be put into that fund after the state has the account set up and the program is fully established.
The IHMF also has a scholarship fund, the Ken Locklear Scholarship, for which we will be raising funds to pay for personnel to be trained here in Oklahoma. We understand it will be about $1,000 for each person trained.
This victory in Oklahoma will show the way, so that the billions being lost by the Federal government in lost manpower, lost life potential and ineffective medical treatment, can be reversed. It will take coordinated effort and cooperation by a number of state agencies, charities and for-profit and not-forprofit hyperbaric facilities and health care practitioners across the state.
Today the ink is on the legislation and the steps are underway.
We encourage you to join the movement through membership in the IHMA and make it possible for a veteran to get treated by donating to one of the supporting charities.