By Gus Saltonstall
A new ketamine treatment center opened this week on the Upper West Side.
Keta Medical Center has opened its doors at 123 West 86th Street, between Columbus and Amsterdam avenues. The new location is Keta Medical Center’s second on the Upper West Side, as there is also an outpost at 7 West 96th Street, between Central Park West and Columbus Avenue.
“New Yorkers deserve access to innovative, safe, and effective options that go beyond traditional medications,” said Dr. Haviva Malina, Co-Founder of Keta Medical Center, in a news release. “By opening our second Upper West Side clinic, we’re making it easier for patients to find relief and reclaim their lives with care that fits their schedules and needs.”
Keta Medical Center bills itself as a place that “empowers those left behind by traditional treatments to finally realize mental health relief, and rediscover the joy of living life fully.”
Ketamine was first approved in the 1970s by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) as an anesthetic during surgery.
In more recent years, ketamine has begun to be used as a treatment for depression. As outlined by the Columbia University Irving Medical Center, “ketamine was later found to have rapid-acting antidepressant and anti-anxiety effects,” through its targeting of different neurotransmitters in the brain.
“In lower doses, it is a form of hallucinogen that can make a person feel detached from reality and enter a dreamlike state,” according to DrugFree.org. Ketamine can also have side effects, such as dissociation or temporary increases in blood pressure during or shortly after a therapy session, along with nausea and dizziness.
At Keta Medical Center, including the new Upper West Side outpost, each session is supervised by registered nurses and overseen by an emergency room physician. The clinics accept most commercial insurance plans and Medicare, and are open throughout the week from 9 a.m. to 8 p.m.
You can find out more about Keta Medical Center on its website — HERE.
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