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Neenah, Wis. (3/20/2009) - The first of two psychiatrists is treating patients at the Fox Valley Children's Mental Health Center. Mark Rovick, DO, is a child and adolescent psychiatrist who treats the full spectrum of mental health disorders. He has a special interest in post-traumatic stress disorder. He serves as assistant professor of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry at the Medical College of Wisconsin in Milwaukee. 
The mental health center, which joins Children's Service Society of Wisconsin in providing services at the Goodwill building, 1820 Appleton Road in Menasha, is a first-of-its-kind collaboration between Affinity Health System, Children's Hospital of Wisconsin-Fox Valley and ThedaCare. The three health systems joined forces to address a shortage of pediatric mental health services in the Fox Valley. Funding for the center came from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, the John J. & Ethel D. Keller Donor Advised Fund in the Community Foundation and many local businesses and community members.
Rovick earned his medical degree from the University of Osteopathic Medicine and Health Sciences in Des Moines, Iowa. He completed a residency in Adult Psychiatry and a fellowship in Child and Adolescent Psychiatry at Fairview-Riverside Hospital in Minneapolis. He also completed an Osteopathic internship at Michigan State University in East Lansing. He is board certified in Adult Psychiatry and board eligible in Child and Adolescent Psychiatry.
Rovick believes the community plays an important role in the care of its children and that the Fox Valley community's role in the development of the mental health center was critical. "Medicine is only part of the equation," he said. "When I have a young person in my office in a controlled setting, they may be fine, but when they leave here and have all the other inputs of friends, family, school, church and just life in general, it's a complicated environment. When a community mobilizes to not just educate its members about mental health but also do something about it, that's an incredible opportunity to create a very healthy environment."
Rovick is from Minnesota and his wife is from upper Michigan. They and their two children say they already feel at home in the Fox Valley. "When people ask why I came here it's easy to talk about the need for a child psychiatrist in the area, but we really came here because of the sense of community. It feels like home and a place where I can make a difference."
"There is a clear shortage of child psychiatrists in the country – there are 6,000 when we need 36,000 – and we chose to come here because it's a wonderful place to raise a family. The bonus is that it's also a place where I can make a real difference practicing the kind of medicine that I've chosen to practice."
The search for a second psychiatrist is under way, said Larry Duncan, vice president of Regional Services for Children's Hospital and Health System, who is leading the recruitment effort.
If you are a parent or legal guardian and wish to obtain psychiatric services for your child, please call (920) 996-2215 to speak with the intake coordinator regarding a new patient appointment.
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