Ray says that the psychiatrist who directly administers the electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) to him at Mercy Hospital is Dr. Bernard M. Coelho, who has advertised that his specialty is electroshock.

updated 27 May 2009

Mercy Hospital in Minnesota: Where Ray receives forced electroshockName: Bernard M. Coelho, MD, psychiatrist and electroshock doctor, at Mercy Hospital.

City/State:  Coon Rapids, Minnesota

Connection to Ray’s case: Ray identifies this psychiatrist as the individual who actually administers his involuntary outpatient electroshock, at Mercy Hospital. While Dean Knudson is the psychiatrist who oversees Ray’s case, and approves and schedules the forced electroshock, it is Dr. Coelho, according to Ray, who actually pushes the button.

Public position on Ray Sandford’s forced outpatient electroshock: Will not comment on Ray Sandford.

Public position in general on outpatient involuntary electroshock over expressed wishes of subject: According to the evidence presented to MindFreedom, administers taxpayer-funded involuntary electroshock.

So far, this individual has not yet taken a public position against Ray’s forced shock, or in general against outpatient involuntary shock over the expressed wishes of the subject.

IMPORTANT NOTE:MindFreedom and Ray endorse nonviolence principles. Even if an individual or agency opposes Ray’s human rights, MindFreedom and Ray ask that any communication be civil.

Action:

Please phone Dr. Coelho and ask him to stop the forced electroshock of Ray Sandford.

Dr. Coelho direct phone number listed on the Allina web site is 612-264-4379. For a while this phone number was disconnected. If it does not work, you may try to leave him a message at Mercy Hospital at 763-236-6000.

You may write to Dr. Coelho, and ask that your letter be placed in Ray’s medical record, here:

Dr. Bernard Coelho
Mercy Hospital:
4050 Coon Rapids Blvd NW
Minneapolis, MN 55433 USA

More information on Dr. Coelho:

Dr. Coelho works for Mercy Hospital, which is owned by Allina. The website for Allina, on 2 April 2009, identifies Dr. Coelho as having a “special interest” in electroconvsulsive therapy:

http://www.allinamercy.org/ac/homepgs.nsf/fhomepage/2515

That page also links to Allina’s information about electroshock, which minimizes the high risk of severe and persistent memory and cognitive problems after electroshock:

http://www.allina.com/CCS/doc/Encyclopedia/1/003324.htm

Dr. Coelho attended the Medical College at the University of Kerala, in Trivandrum, Kerala, India. When he came to the U.S., Dr. Coelho did his psychiatric internship at a mental health institute in Cherokee, Iowa; an internship program that apparently is no longer in existence.

At the website, DrScore, Dr. Coelho has been scored by his patients and others with a “2” out of a possible “10”.
MORE INFO:

Age 74

paid $6625.00 in public funds by Anoka County in 2001 and $8250.00 in 2002

This is only what was discoverable via the internet. There may be many more yearly payments.

Dr. Coehlo was also known to be a doctor at Anoka Metro Regional Treatment Center (state hospital) for a number of years at least in the 1980s.

Sources:
http://tinyurl.com/ql7rxv

http://tinyurl.com/ql5wsx

Disclaimer: The information on this page is the opinion of the author, based on reports from Ray Sandford and allies, to the best of their knowledge. If there is any dispute of the facts, please let MindFreedom know.