FORT LEAVENWORTH, Kan. – A chance encounter in a college classroom led Tessa Brophy to the director position of the Fort Leavenworth Army Wellness Center.
“The director of this location, at the time, came to a class I was taking and spoke about everything they were doing for the Army and then I came and interned here in 2014,” said Brophy. “After graduation, I worked out of Carlisle Barracks, Pennsylvania, for about three years as a health educator prior to taking over here as director.”
As one of 35 locations around the world, the Fort Leavenworth AWC mission is to provide services for service members, their families, civilians and retirees. The services are solely to improve the health of the total force. Brophy said that can range from weight loss to preparing for the Army Combat Fitness Test.
A majority of clients are active-duty Soldiers, but Brophy said they also see a good number of spouses, and civilians.
“We are primarily here for active-duty service members and helping to improve their readiness,” said Brophy. “Overall, our goal is to tailor our services to the needs of the installation. My job is to get the community in our doors. Once they are here, we can get that client on the journey of improving their health. Our staff are highly educated and trained in nutrition, performance, public health and overall wellness education.”
The AWC offers body composition analysis, metabolic assessment, fitness testing, stress management and health coaching.
Originally from Imperial, Nebraska, Brophy said she was always into sports growing up and it led to her figuring out her career path at an early age.
“Getting into the realm of helping people improve their health, improve their fitness, improve their performance, was something I knew I wanted to do from a young age,” she said. “Working for the government and helping Soldiers improve their health, both physical and mental, was a passion I’ve always had.”
The Army Wellness Center is located on the first floor of building 120. More information can be found on their Facebook page, https://www.facebook.com/AWCFortLeavenworth.
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