Constable Joanna Wright earns MGH’s inaugural Community Partner of Distinction Award

Thirty years of service with the Toronto Police Service (TPS) is not the only milestone Joanna Wright, a constable with 54 Division, will be celebrating this year.

Joanna was named the recipient of Michael Garron Hospital’s (MGH) inaugural Community Partner of Distinction Award at a hospital town hall earlier today.

The Community Partner of Distinction Award celebrates an individual, team or organization for their exemplary contribution to creating health, building community and showing significant advancement of the health care system in collaboration with community partners. Joanna is being recognized for her work as a Community Relations Officer (CRO) from 2008 to 2018.

“I am profoundly touched to be recognized in this way – I am so proud of the work I’ve done with the hospital. This role has been the highlight of my career,” says Joanna.

Joanna began her career at TPS in 1989 at 33 Division in Don Mills. She later transferred to 53 Division where she worked in schools and got a taste for community work. When the CRO opportunity with 54 Division came up, she jumped at the chance to focus her efforts on serving the East York community.

“There is a lot of overlap between policing and healthcare. The people we see through Toronto Police are often vulnerable populations that the hospital also serves,” says Joanna.

Joanna has been instrumental in building strong linkages and relationships between the Toronto Police, hospital and community support agencies in East York.

She has helped both patients and staff stay safe through participation in workplace violence prevention training sessions and programs aimed at identifying signs of domestic abuse. She’s worked closely with the Emergency Department to help reduce wait times and partnered with hospital units to address security and safety concerns.

“It is an incredible team of professionals at the hospital. It has always struck me what a close-knit community it is. Patients and families in East York are very devoted to this hospital – and the staff create a welcoming space for the community they serve.”

“It’s so important for us to collaborate and work together – and at the hospital, I was able to work together with bright, compassionate people I could rely on.”

The feeling is mutual.

In her role as CRO, Joanna’s professional, kind and compassionate approach quickly earned her the respect of her hospital colleagues. She’s become a household name within the hospital community and as one colleague Janice Ward, Manager of Quality and Safety, puts it, “she’s been MGH’s ‘phone a friend’ for the last 10 years.”

Joanna has also worked collaboratively with MGH social workers to help identify valuable information on some of the hospital’s most vulnerable populations, for example those who may be experiencing mental health challenges, addiction, abuse or face financial hardship.

“Not only is Joanna reliable, dependable and prompt, she is an invaluable resource when it comes to providing information and following up in the community with our most complex and challenging patients,” says Alina Mustata, social worker at MGH.

One of the biggest points of pride for Joanna has been her work with hospital leaders on successfully launching the East Toronto Mobile Crisis Intervention Team (MCIT) in 2013 to help residents in mental health distress.

MCIT pairs specially trained police officers with mental health nurses. When police are called regarding a person in mental health crisis, an officer and nurse from the team respond together in a separate police car to back up the primary emergency responders. The MCIT works to assess the person in distress, de-escalate the crisis and arrange for follow-up services if needed.

Since 2013, the program has expanded significantly; to date, the Toronto Police Service has partnered with six hospitals to form MCIT teams: St Joseph's Health Centre, Humber River Hospital, North York General Hospital, Scarborough and Rouge Hospital (formerly The Scarborough Hospital), St. Michael's Hospital and MGH.

“Sometimes we need to think outside of the box and be creative with how we handle difficult situations,” says Joanna.

“The Toronto Police and MGH have been able to problem solve and find creative solutions a lot through the years. This partnership has been so valuable to the community.”

Joanna looks forward to continuing her friendships with the strong network she’s formed during the last 10 years and will continue to serve the East York community as a frontline officer.