|
Air Force Offers Programs to Help Manage Stress |
| Print |
|
E-mail
|
WASHINGTON -- Although the Air Force has a wide range of fitness and
health-related programs in place.....
to help service members and their
families manage stress, Air Force officials are concerned that some are
not aware of the available programs and are not taking advantage of
them, according to a recent Air Force report. To address that, the Air
Force is launching a series of monthly campaigns with themes that focus
on specific programs to help manage potential areas of stress for
airmen and their families.
"Whether you're the youngest airman or the most senior chief on staff,
you have stress. Everyone has stress," says Lt. Gen. Arthur J. Lichte,
assistant vice chief of staff and director of staff. "All airmen need
to know there are organizations and programs available to them at their
installations to help them when they're in need."
The Air Force takes a community-based approach to help airmen manage
stress through the Integrated Delivery System (IDS). IDS is a group of
cross-functional experts dedicated to the well-being of airmen and
their families. Every base has an IDS team that coordinates and
integrates the activities of all the base support agencies, including
airman and family readiness, sexual assault prevention and response,
life skills, the chaplaincy, family advocacy, health promotions, family
member programs and Air Reserve component representatives.
Additionally, the IDS team can develop initiatives to address the
specific concerns of an installation.
The monthly campaigns will begin in June.
"Deployments are definitely one source of stress that most airmen can
identify with, but that's not the entire story," Lichte says. "What
about the airman who has lost a loved one or the member whose spouse is
battling cancer?"
The campaign should not be considered ancillary training or just another requirement, Lichte says.
"The purpose is to bring awareness about the potential causes of stress
and educate airmen about existing programs designed to help them
identify, manage, treat and reduce stress," he says. "We want them to
know about these programs and use them."
The following campaigns are scheduled for June 2007 through May 2008:
* June -- Healthy relationships
* July -- Leadership
* August -- Deployment readiness
* September -- Legal support
* October -- Domestic violence awareness
* November -- Military family appreciation
* December -- Holiday stress
* January -- Financial readiness
* February -- Health and wellness
* March -- Transitions
* April -- Child appreciation
* May -- Substance abuse prevention
|
