Andrew Ward, a veteran and the founder of Acadiana Veterans Alliance, wants to reduce post-traumatic stress disorder and help end veteran suicide in h. Though it's not a miracle cure, with the help of a single, fast-acting injection in the neck, he and a team of people in Acadiana are working to help those with PTSD.
While that may sound too good to be true, 18 h military veterans' lives have been turned around, in large part thanks to the injection, known as the stellate ganglion block, or SGB, a procedure that costs $1,500.
Since AVA's program start in 2020, Ward says that he and a team of others in Acadiana have had a 75% success rate in treating PTSD, with 18 of the 24 SGB procedures having proved successful thus far.
Robyn Sonnier, a licensed counselor and certified clinical trauma professional, is a part of the team of people working together to address the problem of PTSD and suicide among veterans in Acadiana. She screens candidates prior to the SGB injection in her private practice. She also gauges patient progress using the PTSD Checklist score. Sonnier says when the SGB is coupled with therapy, they are seeing an alleviation of PTSD symptoms in over 83% of patients — results she considers significant.
"The average drop on the Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder Checklist score is 29%, and that is almost three times better the result of what the National Center for PTSD claims to be clinically significant, which is pretty impactful," Sonnier said.
Andrew Ward
The problem for many veterans was that insurance didn't cover the cost of the procedure. In answer to that, in 2020, Ward started the nonprofit AVA to help bring veterans and prior military together to address the issues plaguing their population, including the statistic that 22 veterans a day die by suicide. Then AVA created the , which helps fund the treatment. The program covers $1,000 of the total $1,500 cost for veterans, which includes a diagnostic screening, follow-up appointments and therapy sessions, according to the alliance’s website.
Ward’s goal for the treatment is to expand statewide to help veterans, but also anyone else who has experienced trauma.
To do this, the AVA has applied for a grant through the Department of Veterans Affairs that would give the alliance $750,000. Ward believes this money could help treat an “astounding” 200 more patients in the next year.
“As military, we’re always taught to drive on and really tough it out,” Ward said. “But I do think an organization like ours, where our entire advisory is made up of former service members, we’re people that [veterans] can relate to. I’ve found that that makes it a lot easier for [veterans] to come to us and ask for help.”
Barry Bouillion, a Marine veteran, received the injection last year. He said he felt the effects immediately, like his nervous system was saying, “Thank you for some relief. Where have you been all my life?”
Ward learned about the SGB injection through Dr. Thomas Bond, a Lafayette physician who specializes in regenerative medicine. Bond said the injection works within minutes to help provide relief to patients who suffer from post-traumatic stress symptoms. Now, Bond works with the AVA to administer SGB injections to veterans with PTSD.
“It’s truly [one of the] top three things that I do, no question,” Bond says, who explained that each injection could be saving a life because veterans with PTSD have a higher likelihood to be "on their way to suicide, statistically.”
The SGB injection has been used since 1926 to treat chronic pain. However, in recent years, the VA has partnered with the to use SGB as a treatment option for PTSD.
By itself, the stellate ganglion is a cluster of nerves that controls the body’s fight-or-flight response. The injection blocks the nerves and calms them so that the fight-or-flight response is back in neutral. Bond says the injection can be administered in the office or in surgery center under anesthesia.
Barry Bouillion, a Marine, received the injection last year. He said he felt the effects immediately, like his nervous system was saying, “Thank you for some relief. Where have you been all my life?” Bouillion is also a licensed professional counselor who specializes in working with fellow veterans. Even so, he said that the injection helped him to “settle in” to do the deeper work of therapy for himself.
Barry Bouillion is a Marine and a licensed professional counselor who specializes in working with fellow veterans. Even so, he said that the injection helped him to “settle in” to do the deeper work of therapy for himself.
“A year down the road, I would say it’s certainly made a difference," Bouillion said. "What I don’t believe is that you can have this procedure done and it's an end all, be all.”
He explained that our bodies and brains often keep the score of past trauma, and counseling awakens the hyper-awareness and hyper-vigilance from the trauma. He said that the injection calmed his body down so that he could use the tools he was given to heal through counseling.
Per Bond’s protocol, the treatment is combined with counseling sessions throughout a one-year period. Ward said AVA's Heal Program requires two-week, one-month, six-month and one-year visits to check on the veterans’ PTSD symptoms, tracked using the PTSD Checklist.
Ward said they see success immediately in some and others who come back around the six-month mark for another injection.
“It’s not a magic bullet, so it all depends on the severity of the trauma that the person has experienced,” Ward said.
Sonnier is a preferred provider with the Stella Center and screens candidates prior to the injection in her private practice. She gauges patient progress using the PCL score.
Robyn Sonnier, a licensed counselor and certified clinical trauma professional, is a preferred provider with the Stella Center.
Sonnier explained that the injection is proven to help with hyperactivity, aggression, sleep disturbances and irritability, all symptoms that stop veterans from initially seeking care in the first place. She said she had a certain “pull on her heart” to help with the veteran population and offers free sessions for veterans in her practice.
“[Patients] get that physical relief [with the injection], but they also get that emotional relief as well,” she said.
Bond said the mind takes in the trauma, documenting and burning it into a neural pathway to become a memory.
“The SGB injections physically break the link between the memory and the body so that all of the physical feeling that people feel on a daily basis of PTSD are literally shut off in 30 seconds,” Bond said.
The memory manifests itself into physical reactions, including dilated pupils, hand sweating or elevated heart rate.
Andy Bankard, center, said that it's much easier now to spontaneously pick up and enjoy an activity with his kids after receiving the SGB injection.
Andy Bankard, a veteran who now works in law enforcement, said the biggest upside of the treatment is that it made him feel at ease. He said that it's much easier now to pick up and enjoy an activity spontaneously with his kids, explaining that, before, if something wasn't right in his head, he would cancel the entire day.
“Before the shot, I wouldn’t have even wanted to talk to anyone about this. I’m much more open about it, I’m not so much closed about it because I want to help people,” Bankard said.
At the end of the day for Ward, the goal is to help people regain their lives, their families and their peace of mind.
"A lot of these guys, they’re at the brink of suicide,” Ward said. “For us, saving these lives is our No. 1 priority.”
