OGDENSBURG -- Claxton-Hepburn Medical Center has hired Michael J. Perry, a board certified family psychiatric mental health nurse practitioner, to work in the mental health center.

Perry previously worked at Mary Imogene Bassett Hospital in Cooperstown, where he worked as an acute care inpatient psychiatric nurse practitioner.

He also has experience as a nurse administrator.

Perry’s nursing career began 22 years ago when he received his license practical nurse degree from BOCES in New Hartford, before attending Mohawk Valley Community College in Utica, where he earned his associate in applied science, nursing.

He completed his bachelor of science, nursing at SUNY Institute of Technology in Utica and completed his masters of science, nursing, in the family psychiatric mental health nurse practitioner program at SUNY Upstate, Syracuse.

He is board certified by the American Nurse Credentialing Center.

“Dr. Rajasekaran, a psychiatrist at Claxton-Hepburn, is a former colleague of mine that I enjoyed working with. He reached out to me about joining the Claxton-Hepburn medical staff because he appreciates my commitment to my patients and the importance I place on building therapeutic relationships and teaching patients about their mental illness and their medications so they can make informed decisions about their treatment,” said Perry.

“Having had an opportunity to visit Claxton-Hepburn, I was pleased to find a superb team of individuals who are committed to the same ideas which made the decision to come here an easy one,” he said.

Perry and his wife Teresa will settle in the area soon. His interests include hunting hunter and the outdoors and he enjoys playing guitar.

For more information about Perry or the mental health center visit www.claxtonhepburn.org or 1-888-908-2462.