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.
Michael 九游体育's (MGH) Community Outreach Services has been providing community-based support to mental health clients living in our community for 25 years!
Community Outreach Services is comprised of three separate programs:
From its roots 25 years ago, the program has grown to a team of 20 working with over 250 clients, 鈥渉elping to stop the revolving door syndrome by supporting people to live in the community to the best of their ability,鈥� says Gwen Robart, REACH Counsellor.
Before programs like these were funded, people spent much of their lives locked up in hospitals; now they are out in the community living their lives. Notes Gwen: 鈥淥ur approach gives clients confidence and helps them reconnect with the community in a way that would never be possible through therapy in an office setting.鈥�
Lois Didyk, REACH Counsellor, describes the team as 鈥渨orking with people as people, not patients. That鈥檚 how we鈥檙e different. We see people in community settings, help them use services like the library, and meet their families and friends. This means we can connect with people on a different level and work creatively in a way that suits who they are; a people-first approach.鈥�
Says Carole Perrier, COMPASS RN: 鈥淚f these clients didn鈥檛 have us, they would likely be in hospital. We link people with community support services and recreational facilities that they couldn鈥檛 do on their own. We are very knowledgeable about housing, often helping clients transition through different living arrangements. We are able to work with clients in their own environment; for example meeting up with them at Tim Horton鈥檚 if that鈥檚 where they like to go.鈥�
Seeing clients grow and helping them become more autonomous is rewarding. 鈥淲hen you see clients struggling and then you see them able to work, volunteer, engage with other people, develop hobbies - that鈥檚 pretty cool,鈥� says Carole.
For a small team, they offer amazing programs, everything from Tai Chi to acupuncture to a weekly social night, as well as cultural celebrations, picnics etc.