Wellness opportunities abound for DoD civilians at Hanscom Published Aug. 26, 2010 By Sarah Olaciregui 66th Air Base Group Public Affairs HANSCOM AIR FORCE BASE, Mass. -- Wellness, whether physical, mental or spiritual, is not only important for military members at Hanscom, but also for civilians and many opportunities exist to get in shape, learn how to eat better or find out about health and wellness. Deanne Casey, a registered nurse and Hanscom's health educator, is here to specifically address the wellness needs of DoD civilian employees. Her programs include cholesterol screenings, cardiac risk profiles, wellness classes and much more, all for free. Ms. Casey works for Federal Occupational Health under a partnership program with Air Force Materiel Command (AFMC) called Civilian Health Promotion Services (CHPS). "AFMC has a lot of civilian employees," said Ms. Casey, "so it is important for the command to make sure each individual feels healthy and continues to adapt to a healthy lifestyle." As a result, Air Force Materiel Command's wellness website, www.afmcwellness.com, is available for employees to begin their wellness journey. "The website is a great tool to track physical activity, blood pressure and more," Ms. Casey said. Once employees create an account on the wellness site, they are prompted to complete a health risk appraisal (HRA). The HRA takes less than 10 minutes to complete and asks a variety of questions, such as the amount of fruits or vegetables one eats each day, to the amount of exercise one does each week. Afterwards, the user is presented with a personalized summary with tips on how to better certain aspects of their health. "We want to reinvigorate this program at Hanscom," Ms. Casey explained. "When the website was first launched, there was a lot of participation. Now, we want new employees or those who may have forgotten about it, to get interested again." The goal at Hanscom is for 50 percent of DoD civilians to complete the HRA. In addition to completing the HRA, the website has many resources, such as the letter employees may take to their doctors to get signed in order to participate in three hours of wellness time each week. The letter is found under "Civilian Wellness" on the home page. According to Ms. Casey, sometime in September, the AFMC wellness website will slightly change. Currently, those who log on can log their activities and earn points towards incentives, such as free pedometers or certificates used towards prizes. Next month, the points system will be modified and there will be new incentive prizes. She encourages civilians to stay tuned for the changes. Besides the wellness site, civilian employees may also take part in a free cardiac risk profile (CRP). The CRP includes a finger prick, checking the cholesterol, glucose, blood pressure and body mass index. The visit takes about 15 minutes or less to complete followed by a short explanation of the cardiac risk profile results. Employees may either contact Ms. Casey to visit their office area, or stop by Hanscom's Health and Wellness Center in Building 1540 to participate. "Many people disregard CRPs because they don't want to fast for a long period of time," Ms. Casey said. "Actually, someone could eat breakfast at 7 a.m. then schedule a CRP for 11 a.m. and go eat lunch afterwards. They really only need to fast for about four or five hours in order to get an accurate reading." CRPs can be done once per fiscal year, according to Ms. Casey, and civilians can use the information for a variety of purposes. The goal at Hanscom is for 30 percent of civilian employees to complete a CRP each year. "Several civilians use the CRPs to keep track of their cholesterol rather than going to a doctor and paying a co-pay," she said. "Others use it to keep check on their cholesterol and then take the profile to their doctor for further discussion." Besides the HRA and CRP, CHPS offers many wellness classes. Health education programs include men's and women's health, nutrition, diabetes basics, high cholesterol treatment, blood pressure, skin cancer program, arthritis, allergies, asthma, migraines and severe headaches, back pain essentials, exercise overview, injury prevention and colorectal cancer screening. In addition, Ms. Casey conducts a seven-week "Lighten Up" class to teach proper nutrition and lifelong weight management skills. The program focuses on the importance of physical activity, behavior modification and group support for overall mental and physical wellness. The program introduces participants to weight management and fitness information that helps them make permanent lifestyle changes. The next class begins Sept. 8 from 11 to 11:45 a.m. in Building 1540. Beginning in October, a self care and injury prevention class will begin and all attendees will receive a free book about self care called "Healthier at Home." "It is important for DoD civilians to know that taking part in these wellness initiatives may count toward their three hours of wellness leave," she said. "Even sitting down at a computer to take the HRA counts as wellness time." To take the health risk assessment or find out more about the many wellness initiatives available to DoD civilians employees, visit www.afmcwellness.com. For further information about Civilian Health Promotion Services and the free classes and programs available, contact Ms. Casey at 781-377-8467 or e-mail deanne.casey.ctr@hanscom.af.mil.