Last spring, Dr. Christiane Deschenes officially retired, after caring for patients in our region for more than 40 years. She has also completed her third term as Chief of Staff at Almonte General Hospital and Fairview Manor. COVID-19 has impacted official celebrations, but we want to take this opportunity to thank Dr. Deschenes and celebrate her remarkable career.
“I’m happy to say that Chris is still with us at AGH assisting in the Operating Room,” notes Mary Wilson Trider, President and CEO. “It’s hard to imagine AGH and Fairview Manor without her. Chris brings wisdom, common sense, and a sense of humour to everything she
Dr. Graeme McKillop agrees. As the new Chief of Staff, he says he has big shoes to fill: “Chris Deschenes’s competence and her kind, calm and modest manner always put patients (and staff) at ease. There was never any drama! She is one-of-a-kind and she is missed already.”
Dr. Deschenes is also well-respected by her colleagues at Carleton Place & District Memorial Hospital (CPDMH). “I had the pleasure of working closely with Dr. Deschenes for the past two years,” notes Dr. Jamie Fullerton, CPDMH’s Chief of Staff. “During that time, she was critical in fostering a very positive relationship between the Almonte and Carleton Place medical staff. She leads by example, by doing things the right way. She is a true honest broker and engenders confidence. Without her, I do not think the burgeoning relationship between the two medical communities would have taken place.”
Dr. Deschenes has touched every aspect of Almonte General Hospital and Fairview Manor as a family physician with the Ottawa Valley Family Health Team. She has worked throughout the hospital, from Emergency, to delivering babies, to assisting surgeons in the operating room.
