The Pembroke Regional Hospital has welcomed a third psychiatrist. Doctor Valentine Okechukwu will help with follow-up psychiatric services for patients in Renfrew County and the Pontiac. Doctor Okechukwu is also working on the Acute Mental Health inpatient unit providing day to day care, on-call availability and helping out with the Assertive Community Treatment team.
Chief of Psychiatry at the Pembroke Regional Hospital, Doctor Michael Ferri, says a previous shortage in psychiatrists had resulted in significant cutbacks in outpatient clinics. Both doctors have worked to establish a rapid access clinic for earlier psychiatric assessments through the hospital’s Emergency Department and in the community.
The new psychiatrist in Pembroke was born and raised in Nigeria, where both his parents were teachers. Doctor Okechukwu initially wanted to go into obstetrics and gynaecology, however after losing a family member to suicide he felt a calling to the field of psychiatry with the hope that he could help others. Okechukwu previously studied and worked in Ireland before looking at opportunities in Canada. He says coming to Pembroke wasn’t a difficult decision since he doesn’t like big cities. His wife is also a physician pursuing postgraduate training with their four children in Ireland so having a nearby international airport was an important factor in the move.
Doctor Okechukwu joins doctors Ferri and Vijay in the Pembroke Regional Hospital psychiatry department.