Novamind and the Wholeness Center to launch clinical offering in Utah and Colorado
TORONTO, ON / June 10, 2021 / Novamind Inc. (CSE:NM)(OTC PINK:NVMDF)(FSE:HN2) (“Novamind” or the “Company”), a leading mental health company specialized in psychedelic medicine, in partnership with the Wholeness Center, is pleased to announce that it is launching a psychedelic therapy protocol titled frontline ketamine-assisted psychotherapy (“Frontline KAP”) to address the widespread stress and trauma faced by frontline healthcare workers battling the Covid-19 pandemic.
The Frontline KAP protocol will initially be available to 40 healthcare workers in Colorado and Utah. Recruitment has already begun for the first cohort of 20 participants, with the treatment set to start in late June 2021. Co-designed by Dr. Scott Shannon, founder of the Wholeness Center and Dr. Reid Robison, Chief Medical Officer of Novamind, Frontline KAP targets the unmet mental health needs of healthcare workers. The treatment is delivered over the course of six treatment sessions in small group settings to process work-related stress and trauma from the Covid-19 pandemic.
Frontline KAP is among the first protocols to utilize psychedelic therapy as a treatment for stress and trauma in this population. In a recent Medscape survey of 7,500 physicians, 64% reported experiencing intense burnout while 46% reported feeling increased isolation and loneliness.
“The strain on the lives of frontline healthcare professionals transcends the workplace, affecting families and relationships,” said Dr. Shannon. “The Wholeness Center, in partnership with Novamind, has designed an innovative therapeutic protocol to help relieve the mental health issues of frontline healthcare workers. We want to deliver clinical solutions quickly to those suffering from the burden of healthcare delivery during a pandemic.”
Treatment will take place at Novamind’s Cedar Psychiatry clinic in Springville, Utah and at the Wholeness Center in Fort Collins, Colorado, combining both organizations’ depth of expertise in psychedelic medicine. The Wholeness Center is currently participating in the Multidisciplinary Association for Psychedelic Studies’ (MAPS) phase III clinical trial of MDMA for post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), while Novamind’s Cedar Psychiatry is contributing to seven studies examining ketamine therapy across multiple mental health indications.
“Together with the Wholeness Center, we’re joining forces to offer a new therapy that will positively impact the people who show up every day and continue to provide critical healthcare for the public during-and after-this difficult time,” said Dr. Robison.
Cedar Psychiatry offers its clients access to several ketamine treatment protocols including Emotion-Focused Ketamine-Assisted Psychotherapy (EF-KAP) and Group Ketamine-Assisted Psychotherapy (G-KAP). Since 2016, Cedar Psychiatry has also administered over 7,000 ketamine treatments. The Frontline KAP protocol is the most recent therapeutic protocol to be co-developed by Novamind, supporting the clinical innovation of leaders like Dr. Shannon.
“Novamind develops and delivers evidence-based treatments to answer unmet needs in mental healthcare,” said Yaron Conforti, CEO and Director of Novamind. “As mental health needs evolve, as they have in the past 16 months, Novamind will continue innovating to provide alternatives to the current standard of care.”
Click here to learn more about the Frontline KAP protocol.
About Novamind
Novamind is a leading mental health company enabling safe access to psychedelic medicine through a network of clinics, retreats, and clinical research sites. Novamind provides ketamine-assisted psychotherapy and other novel treatments through its network of Cedar Psychiatry clinics and operates Cedar Clinical Research, a contract research organization specialized in clinical trials and evidence-based research for psychedelic medicine. Both Cedar Psychiatry and Cedar Clinical Research are wholly owned subsidiaries of Novamind. For more information on how Novamind is enhancing mental wellness and guiding people through their entire healing journey, visit novamind.ca.