A little more than a month ago, New York City mayor Michael Bloomberg introduced a new policy that reduced the supply of pain medication in city emergency rooms. Effectively, the plan was aimed at combating the rampant growth of prescription pill addiction in the city’s five boroughs.
While it is estimated that nearly 40,000 New Yorkers are dependent on painkillers, Mayor Bloomberg’s initiative does have its drawbacks. Under the rule, public hospital patients will get three days’ worth of pain medication after visiting the OR. This could mean that a large number of patients in the New York metro area, who are uninsured or face dire financial straits, will now use the emergency room as their primary care source. For a patient with ongoing medical issues, where will they go to alleviate chronic pain?
Enter the St. Barnabas Interventional Block Clinic. Led by Clifford Gervitz, MD, the clinic has been in operations since July 2012 and treats adult patients who are experiencing pain as a result of illness or injury. Shying away from the management of pain with narcotics, the clinic offers injections and other minimally invasive treatments to relieve pain, including injections and infusions. Auto accident injury, work-related injury, back and neck problems, arthritis, shingles, cancer, arm problems (including carpal tunnel), severe headaches and cancer pain are among the conditions treated at the clinic.
Open every Tuesday with procedures completed two Fridays a month, the clinic is located on the first floor of the St. Barnabas Ambulatory Care Center. Please call 718-514-1204 for hours and to schedule an appointment.
Somnia Anesthesia
Blog Editor