Mackay was dedicated, innovative children’s psychiatrist

‘He had an innate understanding of the needs of the kids,’ says colleague

That was very important to him, to offer quality to his patients. He had a great sense of how to help people.

Dr. Jacques Mackay Born: Sept 29., 1930 Died: June 2, 2018

Those who speak of Dr. Jacques Mackay fondly recall both his ability to make others laugh and his dedication to the field of psychiatry.

“Jacques was charismatic and warm,” Dr. Paule Morin said. “He was an extraordinary listener.”

Mackay, who died on June 2, spent the majority of his career working at Rivière-des-Prairies Hospital. Initially brought in as the hospital’s assistant superintendent in 1970, he would serve in several other capacities during the next 40 years, including as the director of professional services, director general and interim head of the psychiatry department.

Mackay was born in Montreal and studied psychiatry at McGill University. Prior to working at Rivière-des-Prairies Hospital, he spent time at the Montreal Children’s

and Sainte-Justine hospitals. He also taught at both his alma mater and the University of Montreal.

Morin worked with Mackay for four years, and witnessed his charm and grace every day.

“He would speak to people, he would listen, and was a natural communicator,” she said. “He was very respectful and open-minded.”

Mackay also had a knack for making people laugh.

“He was a really funny person,” Morin said. “His sense of people was extraordinary.”

Daniel Foster is a social worker who collaborated with Mackay at Rivière-des-Prairies Hospital. As his career progressed, Mackay never lost his drive to learn and help his patients.

“Even though he was older, he still had a curious spirit,” Foster said. “He had a great passion for the discipline and for his clients.”

Beyond his people skills, Mackay was a talented psychiatrist who was dedicated to understanding his patients. Morin recalled several situations where Mackay went above and beyond to grasp what the children and teenagers he was treating were going through.

“He invested a lot in understanding the lives of his patients and their families,” she said. “That was very important to him, to offer quality to his patients. He had a great sense of how to help people.”

During his career, Mackay held several leadership positions where he was tasked with charting the hospital’s direction and managing resources. In the 1970s under his guidance, Rivièredes-Prairies Hospital became a more welcoming environment to patients. Parents were invited to participate in activities and formed a separate committee. The hospital also made better efforts in reintegrating patients into society, as well as back into their own families or foster homes. Mackay emphasized the need to reduce stigmas and normalize the challenges people were facing.

“The modern psychiatric hospital needs to ... remove itself from an isolated space defined by shame and oblivion in which it was,” he wrote in 1986. “So precious is the health of our body … to the heart of our pride”

Morin said Mackay was openminded in how he managed the departments and in his approach to patients. He spent time on committees throughout the city, and often collaborated with other doctors and academics.

“He was a very strategic negotiator,” Morin said. “He was smart in how he presented things.”

On a personal level, Mackay knew what the hospital’s patients were lacking and made sure they had everything they wanted.

“When he was hired at the hospital, there wasn’t a pool or anything fun for the kids,” Morin said. “So the first thing he did was to approve the construction of a pool.”

In addition to the swimming facility, Mackay also brought in animals for the kids to play with.

“He had an innate understanding of the needs of the kids,” Morin said.

While part of his career was spent in boardrooms, Mackay was a psychiatrist at heart. His patients occupied a special place in his life, and he never forgot how precious their youth was.

“He told me, ‘A sick child is still a child, with the needs of a child, sick or not,’ ” Morin said.