The health and well-being of soldiers and family members has been designated an integral aspect of the Army’s mission by Army Chief of Staff Gen. George W. Casey Jr.

The quality-of-life programs that are developed to support soldiers and family members are fundamental to the mission of the Army. Health and well-being include all aspects of mental, physical, spiritual and material wellness.

In Europe, the U.S. Army Center for Health Promotion and Preventive Medicine–Europe (CHPPMEUR) plays a crucial role in ensuring that these aspects of quality of life are addressed as a part of the garrison and tactical strategic plan.

While some consider health to be solely the responsibility of medical personnel, combining assets between medical, garrison and tactical personnel creates a multidisciplinary effort, maximizing the well-being of soldiers and family members.

The CHPPMEUR Health Promotion and Well-Being (HPWB) program coordinates and facilitates this effort.

In 1997, as a part of an inspector general inspection of garrisons in Europe, CHPPMEUR was given the mission to bridge the gap between medical, garrison and tactical services in Europe.

By partnering with Installation Management Command–Europe, CHPPMEUR took on the execution of Army Regulation 600-63, “Army Health Promotion,” on the local level via the implementation and development of community health promotion and well-being councils.

Now, every garrison in IMCOM–Europe has established HPWB councils that meet at least quarterly to work community issues.

Key programs that support garrison health and well-being are highlighted, created and evaluated through the multidisciplinary council, with executive oversight provided by the garrison commander.

Through use of data-driven tools, customer feedback assessments and multidisciplinary forums, the council ensures the needs of the community are met. To facilitate action-oriented processes, the council implements process action teams or working groups to focus on the different needs identified for community wellness.

In accordance with AR 600-63, the HWPB council is chaired by the installation commander and made up of assets from the medical, garrison and tactical communities.

CHPPMEUR funds the council coordinator, who facilitates the multidisciplinary forum.

The mission of the HPWB council is to identify gaps and overlaps in health and well-being services and ensure that programs are identified, modified or created to meet the needs of the community. Key processes to achievement include reduction of stove-piping, multidisciplinary program integration and partnerships that enhance success.

Arguably one of the most important products to be developed from the HPWB council is the Community Resource Guide.

This was developed first in response to a lack of awareness of all the community resources available to commanders to support their troops during pre-deployment, deployment, redeployment and re-integration with the purpose of coordinating all the services and issues that agencies are able to support.

This allowed for better use of mental and behavioral health resources to support the complex issues surrounding combat stress.

The guides were duplicated and provided to every leader and soldier in the 1st Infantry Division and 1st Armored Division during reintegration, as a part of the redeployment packet.

Additionally, USAREUR posted the guides at http://www.per.hqusareur.army.mil/postreintegration/.

This guide is essential for commanders, soldiers, supervisors and community members to identify resources available that can assist with a wide variety of topics, concerns and needs.

Through vigorous marketing of existing resources and programs, the garrison is better able head off constituent complaints of: “I didn’t know it was there.”

Through the multidisciplinary process, several key programs have been initiated, including Walk to Iraq and Operation Walk for Freedom in support of family readiness group esprit de corps and family member wellness; combat operational stress control teams to link key mental health personnel to battalion commanders, soldiers and FRG members; suicide prevention task forces to support garrison suicide prevention activities; youth wellness initiatives; civilian fitness programs; pregnancy postpartum training; tobacco cessation initiatives; and strategic planning activities to incorporate health and well-being activities into the way the garrison and tactical units do business.

The key to the function of the working groups in the garrison is the HPWB council that brings all subject-matter experts across all commands to the same table to discuss and prepare action plans that will best meet the needs of the Army family.

The TEAM (Together Everyone Achieves More) philosophy runs strong in the membership of the HPWB councils. Through these partnerships that are facilitated at the garrison level, many great programs have developed that affect cost savings, cost avoidance and mission readiness of Army communities.

Through these partnerships, medical, garrison and tactical assets ensure the health and well-being of the total Army community, thereby enhancing the mission of the Army as a whole. During this time of war especially, this is essential to the success of our Army in the global war on terror.

(Editor’s note: Anna Courie, is the health promotion policy consultant for CHPPMEUR. She consults on policy and program implementation for CHPPM, and is responsible for the development of the Health Promotion and Well-Being Implementation Guide and training guidance for new health promotion coordinators.)