New family physician practising, accepting new patients
Alberta Health Services - News Release
December 21, 2023
New family physician practising, accepting new patients
BLACKFALDS – A new family physician is now providing care to central Albertans after opening practice at the Apollo Medical Clinic in Blackfalds and Red Deer Regional Hospital Centre.
Dr. Nkechi Gbenoba-Okumiahor has started a full-time family medicine practice after being recruited to the community and completing licensing requirements earlier this year. She will also be providing hospitalist coverage at Red Deer Regional Hospital Centre.
Dr. Gbenoba-Okumiahor is currently accepting patients and can be reached at 587-797-4088.
“This is wonderful news for patients in both Blackfalds and Red Deer,” says Adriana LaGrange, Minister of Health and MLA for Red Deer-North. “Dr. Gbenoba-Okumiahor’s skill set and experience will benefit patients from across central Alberta, and the recruitment of physicians such as Dr. Gbenoba-Okumiahor will help ensure timely access to services for people in our community and beyond.”
“Red Deer is the third largest city in the best province in Canada,” adds Jason Stephan, MLA for Red Deer-South. “It is good to see medical professionals coming to Red Deer to serve families and individuals in our wonderful community.”
With the addition of Dr. Gbenoba-Okumiahor, there are now two physicians serving Blackfalds and the surrounding areas.
“I have keen interest in family medicine and I am dedicated to providing comprehensive medical care to patients,” says Dr. Gbenoba-Okumiahor, who completed her medical education in 2013 in Nigeria. “With my broad experience and passion for my profession, I look forward to joining the teams at the Apollo Medical Clinic in Blackfalds and Red Deer Regional Hospital Centre.”
Dr. Gbenoba-Okumiahor’s hobbies include reading and cooking.
AHS continues to recruit for physicians across the Central Zone to meet community needs. AHS has physician resource planners who are dedicated to identifying and pursuing international and domestic physician recruitment opportunities. They work closely with various community partners and organizations, such as local Health Advisory Councils, the Rural Health Professions Action Plan, and independent physician recruitment and retention committees.
Alberta Health Services is the provincial health authority responsible for planning and delivering health supports and services for more than four million adults and children living in Alberta. Our mission is to provide a patient-focused, quality health system that is accessible and sustainable for all Albertans. Our current focus is on reducing emergency department wait-times, improving EMS response times, increasing access to surgeries, and improving patient flow.
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For media inquiries, contact:
Jonathan Koch
AHS Communications
403-588-5364