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.
Dr. Michael Hiscox, anesthesiologist at Michael 九游体育 (MGH) is the first to admit that mental health and well-being is something that is not talked about enough in the clinician community.
While healthcare professionals tend to the needs of vulnerable patients and families who may experience pain, fear and uncertainty 鈥� they often put their own self-care needs on the back-burner.
That鈥檚 why on Jan. 23, Dr. Hiscox will do his part as the hospital鈥檚 President of the Medical Staff Association to propel the conversation forward.
This month leading up to Bell Let鈥檚 Talk Day, MGH will host hospital-wide rounds on Jan. 23 at 8 a.m. in the G2 Conference Room at its 825 Coxwell Avenue campus: 鈥淐aring for Ourselves: Building Personal and Professional Capacity鈥�.
Dr. Hiscox will moderate a panel discussion with special guests Ted Bober from the Ontario Medical Association Physician Health Program, Julie Maggi, Postgraduate Medical Education Wellness Services and Cindy Wasyliw, Big White Wall. Everyone is welcome to attend.
Following hospital rounds on Jan. 23, MGH will launch its version of the Big White Wall in the G1 Hallway. MGH is taking the concept of the Big White Wall 鈥� an online peer support and self-management tool for youth and adults experiencing symptoms of depression and anxiety 鈥� and fashioning a real-life blank canvas for people to reflect on their own personal commitment to mental health.
Dr. Hiscox will be first in line to sign. His primary message to clinicians: 鈥淪ay something. You don鈥檛 need to internalize it 鈥� you鈥檙e not alone.鈥�
Medicine is a second career for Dr. Hiscox, who spent 15 years in search and rescue work in British Columbia. It was here he saw firsthand the emotional and psychological toll of trauma and crisis on the frontlines.
As a clinician, he sees similar patterns on how crisis can affect high-performing healthcare teams 鈥� especially following a critical incident.
鈥淎fter a traumatic, high-stress incident, the first thing that tends to breakdown is communication. This is typically where important inter-personal relationships are at high-risk of being harmed,鈥� explains Dr. Hiscox.
鈥淚n some cases, a healthcare provider might relate to the patient directly 鈥� they are reminded of a child, grandparent or loved one. They may become very emotionally involved without even realizing it.鈥�
Dr. Hiscox says one of the first steps to self-care is organizing a network of support early on, be it professional or personal. The idea is to create a strong safety net; therefore, in the event that a setback is experienced, there are layers of support in place to help and intervene.
鈥淧art of our duty as a teaching hospital is to evaluate the ability of our teams to emotionally manage what they are faced with at work,鈥� says Dr. Hiscox.
鈥淚f creating more opportunities for open dialogue can prevent someone from going home and harming themselves or better equip our clinicians to care for patients, then the answer is simple: say something.鈥�