WASHINGTON (Army News Service, Dec. 18, 2013) -- "I want this headquarters to lead the way in Army wellness by getting the right amount of sleep, being more active and getting better nutrition," the Army surgeon general told her staff.
Determined that U.S. Army Medical Command, known as MEDCOM, not only talks the talk, but also walks the walk, Lt. Gen. Patricia Horoho, who is also MEDCOM commander, dedicated Dec. 13, to be "Holiday Jingle Walk" at their Falls Church, Va., headquarters, said Barbara Ryan, a registered nurse with the Army Surgeon General's Office and the lead for Performance Triad's outreach programs.
Furthermore, she directed each MEDCOM directorate to plan a monthly walking event, encouraging them to make it fun and designed to promote unit camaraderie, Ryan said, adding that during their Jingle Walk, some participants dressed up in holiday costumes.
Horoho got the idea for the walk during a visit to Fort Bragg, N.C., Nov. 16, where the post held an installation-wide 5-K run/walk, Ryan said. No registration was required for their 5-K and "people showed up with their dogs, cats, kids and strollers and they could choose to run it, walk it or both."
She was there to help kick off the Fort Bragg's Healthy Base Initiative and the Performance Triad's third pilot course, involving Soldiers of the 189th Combat Sustainment Support Battalion.
As for the Performance Triad pilots, Ryan said they're all on track and the program evaluation will conclude in April. And later next year, Army senior leaders will discuss plans to launch Performance Triad service-wide.
As it now works, squad leaders in the pilots get eight hours of professional classroom training on sleep, activity and nutrition, and all participating Soldiers receive two hours of Triad training. All Soldiers were also tested with the Military Power, Performance and Prevention Platform, or MP3, which assesses injury risk and provides individual physical training plans.
The squad leaders continue to be the key to the program and instill in their Soldiers what they've learned from the classroom and from the Leader's Guide. "It's basically a leadership by example type approach that fits in with the Army's philosophy that the [non-commissioned officer] has the most influence over a Soldier's life," Ryan said.
Horoho is promoting Performance Triad ahead of the rollout, Ryan said.
Next year, for example, she'll be on a whirlwind tour of Army installations, that may include Fort Hood, Texas; Fort Bliss, Texas; Fort Stewart, Ga.; and Fort Benning, Ga., talking to Performance Triad teams at each military treatment facility as well as post commanders and senior enlisted Soldiers.
"People she visited at Fort Bragg were really jazzed," Ryan said, meaning that the surgeon general inspired them. "One sergeant major said 'I can see why this is so important now.' That's the kind of thing people can expect when she visits."
As it stands now, installations don't have to wait for the Performance Triad roll-out to reap the benefits. Under the guidance of Army Public Health Command, each post has a community health promotion council, led by senior commanders, Ryan explained. This is a resource that integrates garrison, medical and mission efforts in support of the synchronization of health promotion, risk reduction, and suicide prevention programs for example.
Representatives from the community, including retirees, officer and enlisted spouses, along with garrison, medical and senior commanders, meet to discuss programs and initiatives to promote health, wellness, readiness and resilience of the force. "These councils are the means to allow commanders to monitor health promotion program goals and objectives for their community and people can plug in now to information on sleep, activity and nutrition at www.armymedicine.mil," she said.
"There's a demand for more information and a groundswell of interest has begun," Ryan said, "People throughout the Army are asking for more information about the program and we are hearing how people's lives are being changed for the better."
(Mike O'Toole, Army Medicine Public Affairs, contributed to this article. For more ARNEWS stories, visit http://www.army.mil/ARNEWS, or Facebook at www.facebook.com/ArmyNewsService)
Related Links:
Army Medicine: Performance Triad
Keeping Soldiers active first prong on Performance Triad
Eating for health, performance second prong of Performance Triad
Restful sleep third prong of Performance Triad
STAND-TO!: Performance Triad: Nutrition
STAND-TO!: Performance TRIAD Sleep
STAND-TO!: Performance Triad: Activity
STAND-TO!: Performance Triad Pilot Program
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