Dr. Bal Nandra PHOTOGRAPHY BY ROBIN SUBAR
The national conversation on mental health and wellness is helping to remove stigmas and bring a heightened awareness of how mental health disorders affect our daily lives. Honesty surrounding mental health struggles is becoming more and more prevalent, along with innovative treatment options. This is an essential step in our society, but one that still has limitations for many. One primary innovative treatment method is infusion- based ketamine treatment, which provides alternative and additional therapy for those struggling. While extremely effective, the cost of treatment may seem unattainable for many, creating unavoidable barriers for qualifying patients.
Dr. Bal Nandra, the Chief Medical Officer of IV Solutions and Infusion Center and a prominent mental wellness advocate, is thrilled to announce a new nonprofit organization that was formed to address these very concerns. Dr. Nandra created the Serenity Foundation, LLC to sponsor ketamine infusion-based treatments for patients who are experiencing financial hardships and are seeking a better, more balanced mental state, and consequently, a better life.
Ketamine infusion treatment can be used for improving symptoms of depression, PTSD, addiction, and other mental health illnesses. Ketamine’s surprisingly high success rate and speed at which it is able to relieve major depression was reported twenty years ago at Yale University. Since then, dozens of studies have duplicated those findings, confirming that when ketamine is administered intravenously via infusion, it is 70 to 75 percent effective for relieving the most difficult mental health cases. Ketamine has been longitudinally studied for years to assure the safety of patients and proves to have minimal to no side effects.
The Serenity Foundation and its Board of Directors, which include Alexa James, CEO of National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI), among other mental health advocates, believe that ketamine treatments are an impactful service that should not discriminate based on a patient’s financial situation. In the midst of giving season, the Serenity Foundation will begin its mission with the support of donor funds from philanthropic, mental health, wellness advocates, and organizations. With a strong referral program to ketamine-infusion centers, the Serenity Foundation is imperative, now more than ever, to help sponsor a novel and effective treatment to those who need it most.
If you would like to inquire more about how you can help your community by volunteering, donating to Serenity Foundation, or are in need of financial assistance, visit serenityfoundationusa.org.
IV Solutions and Ketamine Centers is located at 712 N. Dearborn Street in Chicago. For more information, call 844-9-IV-MEDS (948- 6337) or visit chicagoivsolution.com or ketaminechicago.com to watch and listen to our many patient testimonials, news, and radio stories.
