Officials ask Fort Knox community to complete strength, themes assessment

By Eric PilgrimNovember 23, 2020

Officials ask Fort Knox community to complete strength, themes assessment
LovieAnn Terrado, integrator of Community Readiness and Resiliency, encourages Soldiers attending a Unit Prevention Leader course Nov 4, 2020, to complete the 2020 Community Strengths and Themes Assessment. Because of COVID-19 restrictions, she has had to look for creative ways to get the word out about this year’s survey, which helps community members set command priorities in health and quality of life issues. The survey window closes Dec. 30. (Photo Credit: Eric Pilgrim, Fort Knox News) VIEW ORIGINAL

FORT KNOX, Ky. — Fort Knox officials are reminding personnel, residents and patrons to complete the 2020 Community Strengths and Themes Assessment before it concludes Dec. 30.

The short survey, developed by the U.S. Army Public Health Center, serves as a comprehensive way to gauge people’s perceptions of health, quality of life, safety and satisfaction, as well as addressing health-related concerns.

“When we have the opportunity to assess our community and ask for their feedback on what are their thoughts on quality of life, health, safety and the readiness of our community, all of that helps us,” said LovieAnn Terrado, integrator of Community Readiness and Resiliency, or CR2. “All of this helps me to work with our leaders, and inform them of what our community is saying.

“The information will help our leaders as we look at better helping our community members.”

Terrado said the survey is important to Fort Knox because it gives leaders a starting place from which to create, drop or adjust programs as needed to custom-fit each to the community.

“The leaders take a look at our resources to determine where we want to put a priority,” said Terrado. “If community members think there’s a need, and we are not fulfilling that need, our leaders can then evaluate it to determine if it’s something we are able to fulfill.”

The survey, which Terrado and others said takes about 15 minutes to complete, is filled out online and submitted anonymously. Each assessment comes around every two years, which allows leaders time to adjust programs and time for residents and personnel to adjust to the changes.

Priorities that surfaced from the 2018 survey included physical readiness, stress mitigation and improved relationships, whether in a work, home or social environment.

Terrado said an example of the priorities in action has been a push for healthier options at the various food establishments on post.

“That’s an initiative out of the [Commander’s Ready and Resilient Council] process that is under physical readiness,” she said. “The Physical Readiness Work Group addresses sleep, nutrition and physical activity.”

The entrance of COVID-19 to the Fort Knox environment has served to heighten the need for all three priorities, Terrado said, making it all the more necessary for community members to complete this year’s survey.

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Editor’s Note: To take the survey, visit https://usaphcapps.amedd.army.mil/Survey/se.ashx?s=25113745218B31B9. For more information, call 502-624-5679/7031.