JOINT BASE ELMENDORF-RICHARDSON, Alaska -- The Joint Implementation Prevention Team addresses community concerns and needs every third Thursday of every month at Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson.
Similar to a Community Action Information Board at an Air Force base, the JIPT brings together JBER community subject matter experts on resources and leadership. The meeting is a way to discuss concerns or address issues concerning the community.
“I want everyone in our community, no matter what uniform they wear, to know about the resources available to them at JBER,” said Carolyn Craig-Sprow, community support coordinator and executive director of the JIPT. “The contributing keys to bringing our annual Community Action Plan together involves results from the most recent U.S. Air Force Rand survey labeled “2017 Air Force Community Feedback Tool” and the “Community Strengths and Themes Assessment” used by the U.S. Army Public Health Center/Community Health Promotion Council.
Currently the JIPT is working on the installation’s Joint Action Plan to serve as a guide to what is most relevant in meeting the community’s needs, Craig-Sprow said.
Once things have been discussed, issues are sent forward to the Joint Action Wellness Council for consideration and approval.
“Here the JIPT and JWAC are able to help peel back the root cause of some of the problems faced locally,” said William Kays, U.S. Army Alaska health promotion officer. “For instance, last year a physical therapist identified high instances of muscle skeletal injuries among Soldiers who were on profiles and stationed at Fort Wainwright and JBER, Alaska. The trend was able to be addressed and an exercise program was designed to meet the needs of the soldiers on these profiles.”
The results from the program rendered a five-percent increase in readiness and an eight-percent decrease in Soldiers on profiles during a nine-month time frame.
It also fixed the real problem of having Soldiers doing things they were not supposed to do and as a result getting medically boarded out of the military because of serious injuries, Kays said.
Another example of this team impact happened two years ago, when it was identified through the JIPT that suicide rates were higher in the late spring and early summer. Annual refresher training was then switched from the traditional September timeframe to March and April.
“The helping agencies are often able to identify trends and point them out to the JIPT which can lead towards prevention and intervention versus reaction,” Kays said. “The value of our leadership’s participation in the JIPT is available to commands to build individual and unit readiness as a whole by highlighting resources available to the entire JBER community. We recognize through this joint team that we all have similar issues.”