By Angela Hunter
U.S. Army Public Health Command Europe
The Department of Defense and the Department of the Army have sounded the alarm, and it is a resounding alarm that calls for a new approach to building and protecting the health and well-being of service members, veterans, DOD civilians and their families through advocacy, action planning and partnerships.<
Today, health promotion and disease prevention uses a collaborative, multidisciplinary approach to address and resolve the layered and complicated issues of today’s military. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, there are four key strategies to preventing chronic diseases and promoting health. The first is investing in communities. Second is providing venues for communities to learn about effective strategies, specifically those related to policy, systems, and environmental changes. Third is mobilizing networks for change. And finally, the fourth is providing communities with tools to assist them as they mobilize to achieve health equity and prevent chronic diseases. Together, these strategies act as powerful change agents to reverse unhealthy behaviors and to promote positive ones.
The Stuttgart Community Health Promotion Council is the community’s change agent and the strategic platform for promoting health and preventing disease. The quarterly CHPC meeting provides a holistic approach to improve the health and well-being of the Stuttgart military community through its construct, mission, and operational capabilities. Further, the CHPC supports the Comprehensive Soldier Family Fitness Program, Ready and Resilient Campaign, and the Health Promotion, Risk Reduction, Suicide Prevention mission to enhance performance, increase resilience and reduce high risk behaviors of all community members.
The framework of the CHPC is based on the components of the Army Health Promotion Program and is aligned with the Comprehensive Soldier and Family Fitness Program’s dimensions of strength. The social, family, spiritual, emotional, and physical dimensions of strength serve as the CHPC’s strategic lines of effort which are operationalized through monthly community work groups.
The collaborative efforts of the Stuttgart CHPC and its work groups have resulted in a number of successes, some of which include the development and implementation of the Stuttgart barracks policy, the elevation of smoking in on-post housing issues to the Department of Army General Officer’s Steering Committee, and the improvement of the CHPC infrastructure. The CHPC also led the development and implementation of the annual Resiliency Day, which was named a best practice by Installation Management Command.
The CHPC, which is supported by command oversight and community input, is effective in addressing complex problems. Its ability to design and implement unique approaches to resolving community health issues through sound strategy make it a valuable and viable community process. While no process is perfect, the CHPC is a vital link and catalyst to ensure that the community is physically, emotionally and spiritually prepared to perform and support the military mission.
