I am pleased to announce the formation of Treatment Assistance Fund, Inc., (TAFI) a non-profit foundation with a singular mission: That cost of treatment must not turn mental or behavioral health disorders into terminal illnesses!
Since around 2017, there has been a life-saving treatment available for our friends and neighbors who are experiencing dangerous, life-threatening mental and/or behavioral health disorders. This treatment is ketamine infusions. A single infusion can stop suicidal thinking in its tracks! After a course of initial therapy, up to 70% of patients can emerge from a lifetime of the deepest depression, where no other pharmaceutical or therapy has helped.
The problem is that ketamine has been off patent for so long that no drug companies will sponsor clinical trials to gain FDA approval for mental health disorders. And, so, insurance companies are slow to cover the infusions. At $450-$500 per infusion – and with up to 6 infusions needed in the first three weeks – this life-saving treatment remains out-of-reach for many. Private ketamine clinics do not accept insurance since so many insurers don’t cover it. I am one of the lucky few whose insurance does cover my infusions. Yet I remain concerned for those who are not as fortunate as I. Thus, TAFI has sprung into existence! We have established TAFI to assist those who cannot afford the infusions or the transportation to receive them. With two new clinics in the Madison area, the treatments are available! The problem is cost.
Too many of us know the pain and suffering that suicide leaves behind, the unknown contributions that could have been made to our lives and our world. TAFI aims to help eliminate suicide as a leading cause of death, one about every 11 minutes! With your help, we can provide funds to cover the costs of infusions and even the transportation for patients to get to and from their infusions!
Won’t you help us in our mission to provide financial assistance for ketamine infusions? While our organization is now founded as a non-profit corporation in the State of Wisconsin, there is much to do in order to begin serving our potential clients. Chief among these tasks, of course, is raising the funds to make the assistance possible. In short, we really need your help so that we may help others. The need is substantial. Every donation will help, no matter the amount! Please help us in our mission to remove this obstacle if you can. Mental illness should not be terminal because of cost.
Sincerely, Alan Ferguson Founder
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