As of March 21, 2025, MGH鈥檚 main entrance on Coxwell Avenue is closed as the next phase of our redevelopment project begins. Patients and visitors can use the new temporary main entrance on Sammon Avenue between Coxwell Avenue and Knight Street. View our campus map.
#IamMGH tells the stories of our people. In honour of Black History Month, we鈥檙e centring the voices and lived experiences of our Black staff and physicians throughout February. Meet Natasha Pelage, supervisor at Michael 九游体育鈥檚 (MGH) Residential Withdrawal Management Centre, Rapid Access Addiction Medicine (RAAM) Clinic and Community Outreach Services.
鈥淚鈥檝e dealt with racism and discrimination in the workplace. I鈥檝e had my expertise and credentials questioned simply because I鈥檓 a Black woman in a leadership position. I try not to take these incidences personally because I know I鈥檓 more than qualified for my job and I鈥檓 very confident in my capabilities. But it鈥檚 frustrating and exhausting that Black people have to deal with this at work.
These incidences are real; they happen every day. And they need to be recognized by leaders. We need stronger policies that condemn racism and discrimination against staff, just as we do for workplace violence, bullying and harassment. We need to take a strong stance against oppression. And we need to ensure staff who experience incidences of racism and discrimination feel supported, listened to and comfortable enough to report them to their superiors so we can ensure a safe working environment for all.
Having more Black, Indigenous and people of colour on our leadership teams would help significantly with this. We serve very diverse communities at the hospital and, right now, our leadership teams are not reflective of this. As a Black woman, I know it鈥檚 not always easy to confide in a supervisor, manager or director who is white. There鈥檚 a level of comfort and understanding that comes with speaking to someone who has likely had experiences of racism and discrimination that are similar to your own. Without more people of colour in leadership positions, we also lose out on the valuable perspectives and experiences they can bring to the care we provide.
I enjoy the work that I do; it鈥檚 very rewarding to be part of a team that supports the care of our communities. That鈥檚 why I鈥檝e decided to make my voice heard. I want people to know they鈥檙e not alone. And I hope that, by speaking up, I can help inspire change in our healthcare systems. Sometimes you have to say things that make people a little bit uncomfortable in order to enact change. I know we can do better.鈥�