Health council updates leaders at quarterly meeting

ROCK ISLAND ARSENAL, Illinois - The Rock Island Arsenal Community Health Promotion Council held its first quarterly meeting of fiscal 2017 here, Oct. 20.

CHPC's membership consists of senior leaders from organizations based on Rock Island Arsenal, as well as installation subject matter experts and representatives from health and wellness organizations in the local Quad Cities community. Council meetings provide an opportunity for members to discuss issues and coordinate actions intended to improve the overall health of the Arsenal community.

Maj. Gen. Edward M. Daly, commanding general of the U.S. Army Sustainment Command and senior mission commander of Rock Island Arsenal, leads RIA's CHPC and chaired the meeting. In opening remarks, Daly noted that this was his first council meeting since taking command of ASC in August, and that his initial impressions of CHPC were all positive.

"I'm unbelievably impressed by the amount of involvement and participation in CHPC by both the Arsenal and the community," Daly said. "I'm impressed by what you're doing in your working groups, I'm impressed by your processes, and I'm impressed by the successes you've achieved so far. You have a solid program across the board and you have a lot to build on going forward."

Daly added that CHPC should serve as a tool to enhance readiness, which is the top priority of Gen. Mark A. Milley, U.S. Army chief of staff.

"Let's not lose sight of readiness, which is why we have CHPC," he said. "It should be the overall strategic focus of this program."

The meeting continued with a status report on CHPC and progress toward meeting the program's goals. Discussion centered on the need to increase civilian participation, as well as participation by military retirees in the area, and on measuring success among the various populations impacted by CHPC on the installation and in the greater Quad Cities community.

Representatives from CHPC community partners then made presentations on various wellness programs. The presentation by St. Ambrose University of Davenport, Iowa, focused on a yoga research study and on a proposal to initiate a walking program.

The Two Rivers YMCA of Moline, Illinois, discussed the Arsenal's possible participation in its corporate fitness challenge, while a representative from Palmer College of Chiropractic of Davenport reviewed a stretching program conducted within RIA's Joint Manufacturing and Technology Center.

Local health care providers UnityPoint Health / Trinity and Genesis Health Systems made presentations on behavioral and mental health and stress management, and Hooah! Quad Cities -- a local initiative of the Quad Cities Chamber of Commerce -- briefly highlighted efforts to enhance the connection between the military presence on the Arsenal and the community.

Following updates from various CHPC working groups, the RIA Health Clinic discussed data that showed increased access to care and reduced waiting times.

Daly closed the meeting by stating that it was a "great session with some great discussions," and asked that future meetings include more information on measurements of success. He said that CHPC working groups could encounter some obstacles as they work toward achieving particular goals.

"As leaders," Daly concluded, "it's up to use to help remove those obstacles and provide the working groups with the resources they need to succeed."