By SooToday.com Staff
SooToday.com
Tuesday, February 09, 2010

NEWS RELEASE

WAR MEMORIAL HOSPITAL

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Galey is area’s newest orthopedic surgeon

SAULT STE. MARIE, MI - For orthopedic surgeon Patrick Galey, M.D., joining the War Memorial Hospital staff and relocating to Sault Ste. Marie meant coming home to family and friends.

He has practised medicine all over the world but this native of Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario now calls the Michigan Sault his home.

Prior to joining War Memorial in January, Galey was practicing in Fort Dodge, Iowa and, before that had practised in West Virginia since the early 1990s.

His earlier career involved practising medicine in both New Zealand and Australia.

“We made the decision in the last year that we wanted to come home,” Galey says of the decision to join the WMH staff.

He has a brother and a sister that reside on the Ontario side of the border and his wife has family in the region as well.

The couple also has a cottage north of Sault Ste. Marie.

“I had looked at three other positions in fairly close proximity to the cottage, but we chose War Memorial because of the proximity to family and the way were received by the staff,” he explained.

Galey will treat patients with a wide variety of conditions, including those with athletic injuries, degenerative problems, and other general orthopedic ailments.

The surgeon has had specialized training in joint reconstruction and has additional experience in scoping and sports medicine.

Osteoporosis is also an issue about which the doctor hopes to provide community education.

As he treats patients with bone fractures, he also talks to them about the reason for the break and that’s typically a thinning of the bone.

While the message about building strong bones and treating osteoporosis is important for women of all ages, Galey believes passionately that education should begin in much earlier years.

“I explain it as a bone bank and the consumption of calcium is like a deposit in the bone bank. Everybody makes deposits until the age of 35 or so and then, after that, they begin withdrawing. The reality is that building up the bone bank should be happening with teenagers. At certain times in their lives, women are withdrawing more calcium from their systems, like during breast feeding and during menopause. You have to build up that bone bank earlier,” he explained, suggesting a calcium supplement for women of all ages.

To schedule an appointment with Galey, call his office at (906) 632-3753.

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