When Keith Lewis, who worked in the insurance industry for 35 years, sold his last business, he knew quickly what he wanted to do: help people struggling with addiction and keep them from relapsing.
After all, Lewis said, he has been recovering from addiction for 15 years, and did not have access to the “continuing care” he was once told to get.
“I had a passion about wanting to do something to fill a space to help people,” Lewis, a Great Neck resident who once lived in Port Washington, said in an interview.
“Everybody talks about treatment, but treatment is just a platform,” Lewis added. “Then you have to go back and live your life and you have to deal with all the other stuff you dealt with from a different perspective and it could be overwhelming. I wanted to be there to have the opportunity to help people.”
Now ONTRACK, located in Suite 386 North at 98 Cuttermill Road in Great Neck Plaza, aims to be that help and keep individuals “on track.”
This is done through a combination of one-on-one therapy sessions and group therapy, Lewis said, which allows for both individualized care and learning from others.
Currently, ONTRACK’s staff includes three therapists, someone who screens prospective clients, as well as Lewis, the owner.
The space is also one made for privacy and easy access, Lewis said, with two private offices, a group room and soundproofed walls. It’s also located in an office building rather than distinctly labeled, he said, and only a few blocks away from the train station.
“That’s one of the goals: to try and make it convenient,” Lewis said.
But, Lewis also noted he does not intend for ONTRACK to be “a substitute” or “softer alternative” for a 12-step program, which he feels can be “the best option,” or replace any other services.
“I’m not looking to take anybody else’s place, I’m not looking to compete with anybody,” Lewis said. “I’m looking to be another option for people.”
For more information about ONTRACK and the services it offers, call (516) 762-0084, email info@ontrackny.com, or visit their website at ontrackny.com.
The initial intake is $125, with weekly service costing $185 thereafter. The fee may be reimbursable based upon one’s insurance.
The opening of ONTRACK comes as officials and residents wrestle with a heroin and opioid epidemic, which claimed more than 40,000 lives in 2016, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Factoring in alcohol and other drugs, more than 63,000 people died from overdoses that year.
