Brent Cooper named new associate director for mental health and addiction at Whanganui Hospital

Brent Cooper has been appointed associate director of mental health and addiction at the Whanganui Hospital. Photo / Fin Ocheduszko Brown

Whanganui Hospital’s new associate director for mental health and addiction is looking forward to working with a “close-knit” community.

Brent Cooper will lead the adult services area and said he looked forward to building on the teamwork already in place between community addiction and mental health teams; Te Awhina, Mental Health Assessment and Home Treatment (MHAHT), Stanford House, and the wider mental health and addiction network.

Cooper began his pathway to mental health care while studying agriculture at Massey University.

“I really had this desire to do something meaningful for people and that led on to doing a social work qualification,” he said.

He completed his Masters in social work, gaining experience in Britain before returning to New Zealand to work at MidCentral in Palmerston North.

Cooper has more than 20 years of experience in mental health and addiction at MidCentral and spent the past four years as the locality manager.

“I really learned the resilience of a small team. Sometimes it was only me and one or two other nurses, so you had to really have each other’s back. It was a fantastic time.”

Cooper said his rural upbringing taught him transferable skills that were relevant in the healthcare scene.

“It all interrelates,” he said.

“You have just got different names for things. Farmers have to be adaptive to the environment, to the price of things.

“Just convert that into a different language. We have also got to be adaptive; that is where we need to recruit creative people, people who can think critically and bring their best to the table, because you have to be adaptive to the complexity.”

Cooper said his new role allowed him the opportunity to lead effective teams that deliver results.

“What is unique to Whanganui is that this is an all-encompassing role.

“It’s inpatient as well as community, you get the opportunity to collaborate across the whole key continuum,” he said.

The population of the MidCentral catchment is 140,000, whereas the Whanganui catchment is about half that.

“That is an exciting challenge; how do we have everything but at a smaller scale?” he said.

“Whanganui may be a smaller hospital, but the mahi is outstanding.

“Relationships are close-knit, and in districts like this one, we’re investing deeply into our community.

“That family connection adds a unique depth to the way we provide care.”

He hoped to instil further evidence-based models and build on the existing cohesion with staff.

“If we keep our people well supported and high-performing, that lifts not only our staff but also our community,” Cooper said.

“Our teams are our engine-rooms; if you keep them running smoothly and well oiled, they are far more effective in meeting the needs of the community.”

Outside of work, Cooper enjoys mountain biking and dirt bike riding with his family.

He is also halfway through his post-graduate studies with the Auckland University of Technology.

Cooper is optimistic about the future of mental health and addiction services in Whanganui, claiming the city is “quite far advanced” in evidence-based models and collaboration with other services.

“It’s quite exciting where health is heading in terms of digital solutions for some things to keep our workforce efficient,” he said.

“We may not always know the answer, but we will find it.”

Fin Ocheduszko Brown is a multimedia journalist based in Whanganui.