Ketamine Therapy for Firefighters & First Responders in Arizona
Firefighters and first responders see things most people never see. They witness serious injuries, death, fires, accidents, destroyed property, and families living through some of the worst moments of their lives. Then the call ends, and you go to the next one.
Over time, these experiences can accumulate and begin to show up as PTSD, anxiety, panic attacks, poor sleep, hypervigilance, depression, anger, or simply feeling different from the person you used to be.
Experience You Can Trust
Our physicians are anesthesiologists specially trained in infusion therapy, bringing extensive experience in administering and monitoring IV treatments.
A Program Built With Arizona's First-Responder Community
Advanced Wellness & Pain partnered with the 100 Club of Arizona to pioneer Arizona’s first-responder ketamine treatment program and has treated more than 300 first responders.
Eligible Arizona firefighters and law-enforcement officers may have access to significant financial assistance through first-responder programs. Through the 100 Club pathway, eligible first responders may receive funding toward PTSD treatment, while eligible PFFA members may have ketamine treatment available through their healthcare benefits.
Our team can help you understand which pathway may apply before treatment begins.
Our First-Responder Network
- 100 Club of Arizona ⟶ program partner
- PFFA Healthcare Trust ⟶ contracted preferred provider
- Public Safety Crisis Solutions ⟶ referral pathway
- Under the Shield ⟶ public-safety nonprofit
Treatment Options for First Responders
Depending on your symptoms, treatment may include:
- Ketamine infusion therapy
- Stellate Ganglion Block (SGB)
- Ketamine and SGB together
- Coaching and integration
- Booster treatments when appropriate
Learn more about ketamine therapy and your first-responder benefits in a confidential consultation.
First Responder & Firefighter Reviews
After years of traditional therapy, yoga, and meditation, Tony remained withdrawn and was barely functioning around his family. Following his physician-led infusion series, his anxiety dropped, anger dissipated, and he was able to reconnect with his family.
Sometimes the first person a firefighter trusts about treatment is another firefighter. Tim came to treatment after seeing the change in someone he worked with.
Frontline healthcare professionals can also spend years caring for others while carrying the effects of that work home with them.
The Mental Health Challenges Firefighters and First Responders Face
Being a firefighter is physically demanding, but that is only part of the job. It is also mentally strenuous. Firefighters and first responders repeatedly see trauma being experienced by other people. Some calls involve serious injuries, some involve death, some involve children, and some involve destruction of homes and property. Some days can be particularly bad, and then you are expected to keep going.
There is also an expectation that first responders should be tough. You are the person other people call when something has gone wrong, and because of that, it is not always common for firefighters or first responders to seek help early.
But no one is immune to repeated trauma. There are very few professions where someone can be exposed to this much trauma over and over again.
Why Firefighters and First Responders Can Develop PTSD
PTSD does not always come from one single event. For a firefighter, it may be the accumulation of hundreds of events. You see something traumatic, you respond, you finish the call, and then another call comes in.
Over time, those experiences can accumulate. The brain and nervous system keep learning that they need to be ready for danger, and at some point, that response may continue even when the immediate emergency is gone.
That can appear as:
- Feeling constantly on alert
- Difficulty sleeping
- Panic attacks
- Anxiety
- Irritability or anger
- Intrusive memories
- Emotional numbness
- Depression
- Difficulty relaxing when off duty
- Feeling disconnected from family
- Feeling as though something bad is about to happen
- Difficulty shutting your mind off after a shift
Watch: A Firefighter's Experience With PTSD and Ketamine Therapy
This short documentary from The New York Times follows a firefighter struggling with PTSD after repeated exposure to traumatic events and his experience with ketamine-assisted treatment.
Video: Ketamine Therapy Offers Hope for a Firefighter Struggling with PTSD | An Act of Service | Op-Docs
Why Ketamine May Help With PTSD
Ketamine works differently from traditional antidepressant medications. It affects the brain’s glutamate system and supports neuroplasticity, which is the brain’s ability to create and strengthen new neural connections.
One way to think about it is that repeated trauma can cause the brain to become very good at following the same patterns. Certain memories trigger the same emotions, certain situations create the same fear, and the brain starts expecting danger.
Ketamine may create an opportunity for the brain to become more flexible and begin forming different patterns. It does not erase what happened. The goal is to give the brain an opportunity to process those experiences differently and then reinforce those changes through treatment, coaching, integration, and time.
When the Body Is Still Stuck in Fight-or-Flight
PTSD does not only affect thoughts and memories. It can also affect the nervous system.
A firefighter may logically know that the emergency is over while the body continues behaving as if something dangerous is about to happen. You may have trouble sleeping, become easily startled, stay alert, or find it difficult to fully relax. Your body may still feel prepared for the next call even when there is no call.
That is where Stellate Ganglion Block, or SGB, may be considered.
Stellate Ganglion Block for First Responder PTSD
SGB targets the sympathetic nervous system, which is involved in the body’s fight-or-flight response. When that system remains highly activated, SGB may help interrupt some of those signals and calm the fight-or-flight response.
Ketamine
Helps create an opportunity for the brain to develop new patterns.
Stellate Ganglion Block
Helps address an overactive fight-or-flight system.
For some first responders, both need to be addressed.
Ketamine + Stellate Ganglion Block for Firefighter PTSD
This is one of the most important differences in the Advanced Wellness & Pain first-responder program.
Advanced Wellness & Pain can offer Stellate Ganglion Block together with ketamine therapy as part of its firefighter PTSD program. For a patient where significant autonomic dysregulation or fight-or-flight activation is identified, the treatment pathway may include ketamine infusions, coaching, booster treatments, and SGB. The exact combination is determined after consultation.
What Treatment May Look Like
Treatment starts with a medical consultation. We first want to understand what is happening:
- Are the primary symptoms PTSD?
- Is there anxiety or depression?
- Are there panic attacks?
- Is sleep becoming difficult?
- Does the body constantly feel on alert?
- What treatments have already been tried?
Ketamine Infusions
An initial treatment series may include a series of ketamine infusions followed by booster treatments when appropriate.
Coaching and Integration
The medicine is not the entire treatment. Coaching and integration can help patients understand what is coming up and work with the changes occurring during treatment.
Stellate Ganglion Block
For some patients with significant sympathetic nervous-system activation or autonomic dysregulation, SGB may be considered.
Booster Treatments
Some first responders may benefit from periodic booster treatments depending on their response and treatment plan.
First-Responder Financial Assistance & Partnerships
100 Club of Arizona
Advanced Wellness & Pain partnered with the 100 Club of Arizona to pioneer Arizona’s first-responder ketamine treatment program and has since treated more than 300 first responders.
A wellness coordinator can submit an application on behalf of the first responder, the individual identifies their preferred provider, and approved funding can then be applied toward treatment.
PFFA Healthcare Trust
Advanced Wellness & Pain has a contracted preferred-provider relationship with the PFFA Healthcare Trust. Eligible members can be referred for ketamine treatment, and we provide treatment under our contract with the trust.
Coverage depends on whether the firefighter’s department or city currently participates in the PFFA plan.
Public Safety Crisis Solutions
Advanced Wellness & Pain is on the referral list used by Public Safety Crisis Solutions, one of the referral pathways within Arizona’s first-responder support system.
Under the Shield
Advanced Wellness & Pain is also connected with Under the Shield, a nonprofit organization supporting public-safety professionals.
Who May Qualify for First-Responder Funding?
Clinical eligibility and financial eligibility are not the same thing. The primary outside funding currently applies to:
- Sworn firefighters
- Sworn law-enforcement officers
Other first responders may still be candidates for treatment, but they may not qualify for the same outside funding programs.
Our team can help determine whether your department participates, whether 100 Club funding or PFFA benefits may apply, whether another first-responder pathway applies, and whether ketamine or SGB should be considered.
Frequently Asked Questions
Most traditional insurance plans do not routinely cover IV ketamine for mental-health treatment. However, first responders may have additional funding or benefit pathways that are not available to the general public, including the 100 Club of Arizona and PFFA Healthcare Trust for eligible members.
Eligible Arizona first responders may be able to receive financial assistance through the 100 Club. Advanced Wellness & Pain has worked directly within this pathway and can help patients understand the process.
Advanced Wellness & Pain is a contracted preferred provider with PFFA Healthcare Trust. Eligibility depends on your department and current benefits.
Ketamine primarily works through brain signaling and neuroplasticity, while SGB targets the sympathetic nervous system and fight-or-flight response. Some patients may need one treatment, while others may benefit from both.
No. SGB is considered based on symptoms and clinical evaluation.
Contact us and tell us your department and situation. Our team can help determine which funding or benefit pathway may apply.
You Spend Your Career Helping Other People. You Can Ask for Help Too.
First responders become very good at functioning under pressure, but that does not mean the accumulated effects of trauma disappear.
If sleep is getting worse, anxiety is increasing, anger is becoming harder to control, certain calls keep coming back, or you simply do not feel like yourself anymore, it may be worth having a conversation.
Treatment may involve ketamine therapy, a stellate ganglion block, or a combination of the two, depending on the patient.
For eligible Arizona firefighters and law-enforcement officers, there may also be significant financial assistance available through the organizations Advanced Wellness & Pain already works with.
BOOK AN APPOINTMENT
We provide a complimentary consultation by phone. One of our experienced doctors will discuss your concerns, explain ketamine therapy, and help you understand which first-responder benefits or funding pathways may apply.
Call (480) 253-9710 for Scottsdale/Phoenix or (480) 256-9322 for Gilbert/Chandler.
Other Conditions We Treat
Anxiety Treatment
Anxiety can lock the brain in fear and overwhelm. Ketamine therapy works through the glutamate system and may support greater mental flexibility for patients who have not found enough relief through traditional treatment.
Depression Treatment
Ketamine infusion therapy offers a different treatment pathway for patients with treatment-resistant depression by acting on glutamate signaling and supporting neuroplasticity.
PTSD Treatment
PTSD can develop after layers of trauma over time. Ketamine therapy may help patients process trauma differently, while SGB may address an overactive fight-or-flight response.
Chronic Pain Treatment
For some patients with treatment-resistant chronic pain, ketamine may help reduce overactive pain signaling within the nervous system.
Integration Coaching
Integration coaching helps patients prepare for treatment, process insights, and apply changes after an infusion in everyday life.
Stellate Ganglion Block
SGB is a minimally invasive procedure used to calm the sympathetic nervous system and may help reduce symptoms associated with an overactive fight-or-flight response.