Jennifer Clark and Kristen Richter are extremely passionate about what they do. As nurse anesthetists, both Clark and Richter have spent their careers in health care and have seen the limitations of traditional medicine, which is what led the pair to found Morpheus IV Hydration & Infusion Center. “That’s why we’re here,” Clark says. “We’re here when the western medical system fails them or when they’re looking for a more natural route to treat their issues.”
It’s an extremely personal cause for Clark, who became passionate about starting a local ketamine clinic after her own treatment. About nine years ago, Clark began to suffer from daily headaches that quickly became debilitating. She spent one year going to a neurologist before being told there was nothing they could do for her pain. “Over the next five years, I was hospitalized for months at a time,” she says. “I would’ve tried anything.”
That’s when she first heard about ketamine treatments. Ketamine infusions have been shown to have positive results when dealing with chronic health conditions such as chronic pain, migraines, treatment-resistant depression and post traumatic stress disorder. After she began treatment, Clark says everything was different. “It literally changed my life,” she says, noting that she went from taking a dozen medications to two. “I came back to Columbia and thought, ‘I could help so many people with this.’”
That’s when she approached Richter about potentially starting a clinic locally. Richter had her own passion for IV infusions and had been wanting to start a clinic as well, so the pair combined the two ideas and quickly secured a location. At first, only hydration infusion therapy was offered while they perfected their own proprietary formulas for other infusions. And because they create their own formulas, Clark says they are able to provide completely customized drips to address specific issues. “You come in with a complaint, we can address it directly,” Clark says. “That’s why we have a lot of return customers. Because it works.”
That customizable option has led Morpheus to see a number of patients suffering from long-haul COVID symptoms who have been able to improve from the infusions. “We’re literally able to change people’s lives,” Clark says. “It really doesn’t get much better than that.”
Clark says the ketamine portion of the business is doing so well that they are now doing consults for people all over the country.
In the next five years, Clark sees only growth for ketamine and infusion clinics. Currently, ketamine therapy is not covered by insurance, which she foresees changing as more and more people see the benefits. As that shift takes place, Clark says the country as a whole will see an expansion of non-traditional medicine, including the use of substances like psilocybin, the active ingredient in hallucinogenic mushrooms. “I see ketamine staying, but I also see other therapies emerging,” Clark says. “I really see a shift because western medicine has its limits.”
In addition to the clinic, Morpheus also has a mobile option for infusions. The clinic also offers other treatments, including Botox and dermal fillers.
MORPHEUS IV HYDRATION & INFUSION CENTER | 3700 MONTEREY DRIVE, SUITE K, COLUMBIA MO 573-507-6580 | MORPHEUSIV.COM
