FORT SILL, Okla. (Nov. 6, 2013) -- In a move to improve their readiness and resilience, as well as their patients' fitness, Reynolds Army Community Hospital staff kicked off their 12-Week Performance Triad Health Challenge with a sign up Nov. 3.
The challenge has RACH Soldiers, DA civilians, contractors and family members tracking their daily physical activity, nutrition and sleep habits for the next three months. The program follows the Army surgeon general's Performance Triad to help develop healthier lifestyles.
"We looking at least to get a good 400 people to sign up," said 1st Lt. Takelya White, Fort Sill Performance Triad action officer and Preventive Medicine Public Health nurse.
At the kick off, Col. Noel Cárdenas, RACH commander, told the staff to stay motivated and focused on the three behaviors.
"The key to this, as individuals, is that we're taking responsibility for our health," Cardenas said. "Have fun with this, but the most important thing about this is getting better and improving yourself as a person."
At the sign up, which continues through this week, participants were getting baseline measurements in body mass index (BMI) and body fat percentage. Beginning Nov. 10, participants will track how many fruits and vegetables they eat, how much sleep they get and how much physical activity they perform daily.
"Winners will be determined by the overall change in body fat and BMI, as well as the number of servings of fruits and vegetables," said Capt. Beatriz George, Nutrition Outpatient Clinic chief, and Installation Community registered dietitian. "We wanted to have both objective things you could measure, and things that they would report."
Each month a winner will be determined and their department will get to hang a banner. At the end of 12 weeks an overall winner will be announced.
First Sgt. Charles Dietzen, RACH Medical Company, said he signed up for the challenge because physical fitness is important to him.
"As a first sergeant I wanted to set the standard and be part of the standard," Dietzen said. He said he and his commander were encouraging all 325 of their Soldiers to participate.
Army civilian Sandra Cooper, RACH Behavioral Health administrative officer, was in line to get her baseline measurements. She said she saw the challenge as an opportunity to lose weight.
White said as staff members work on improving their lifestyles, those in patient care can tell their patients how they can improve, too.
"How can we encourage our patients to change their lifestyles if we can't change our own?" White said.
Throughout the challenge and always, various RACH departments will be resources for the participants to meet their goals, White said. She noted that one of the staff teaches yoga at RACH for the employees.
During the kick off, vendors had various tables and representatives to promote the three pillars of the triad with literature and giveaways for patients and employees. They included RACH Preventive Medicine and Nutrition, Fort Sill Commissary, Main Exchange, Army Wellness Center, as well as Family and Morale, Welfare and Recreation fitness coordinators leading group exercises every half hour.
Natalie Hopkins manned the Team Red, White and Blue Table where she was getting many questions about the organization.
She explained it is a national nonprofit veterans outreach organization that promotes fitness, recreational and social activities for vets and active-duty members and their families, as well as interested civilians. It has a Lawton-Fort Sill community organization.
George and White pitched the idea of the fitness project to Cárdenas at the RACH Strategic Planning Conference in July, to improve the health of its staff and beneficiaries through the Performance Triad -- all part of the Army Medicine 2020 campaign.
"We are trying to transform our entire organization from a health care system to a system for health," George said.
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