HAWC classes cover wealth of wellness topics

  • Published
  • By Chuck Paone
  • 66th Air Base Wing Public Affairs
HANSCOM AIR FORCE BASE, Mass. --  Hanscom's Health and Wellness Center offers structured classes on many topics that can help people achieve a healthier lifestyle.

"There are advantages to the group dynamic," said Deanne Casey, a Civilian Health Promotion Services nurse coordinator and health educator who works out of the HAWC. "We don't run classes where one person lectures while everyone else sits and listens. We all converse and work to help each other out."

Toward that end, Ms. Casey and other HAWC instructors would like to get more people into their classes.

"With more people, you find more discussion and more ideas are exchanged," she said.

Civilian participation in health screening initiatives has been on the rise since Hanscom's comprehensive Civilian Wellness initiative ramped up in January. More people - though still not enough, health and wellness officials say - have been taking the Web-based Health Risk Assessment (available here www.afmcwellness.com) and the 15-minute cardiac risk assessment that Ms. Casey administers.

Despite this and the ongoing Team Lean Challenge, in which Hanscom teams compete in a healthy weight reduction contest, HAWC class participation hasn't risen, according to Will Carpenter, the center's director.

"We're willing to run the classes even for just a few people, but we'd rather be getting 10 to 12 for each one," he said.

He added that civilians who have signed up to participate in the program offering three hours of duty time per week for wellness can use that time to take these classes. He also noted that many classes are scheduled near lunch time, so that civilian employees can take classes during their lunch break.

Some HAWC classes and services are intended primarily for military members, but most are open to civilians and even contractors. They cover a wide range of wellness areas, including fitness, weight management and quitting smoking, among many others.

The HAWC's 'Kicking Butts' class is one with a tremendous track record, boasting a 60 percent quit rate, which compares to an average of just over 20 percent for most smoking-cessation programs, Mr. Carpenter said.

"We've had great success with helping participants quit, but we haven't been as successful in getting people into the classes," he said. "We'd love to get more people through it and on to a healthier, smoke-free life."

Ms. Casey said it's much the same for many of the classes she leads, including 'Lighten Up,' a seven-part course that covers basic concepts of healthy eating in relation to weight loss and fitness.

HAWC staff would also like to increase participation in newer offerings, such as the 'Get Fit' class led by exercise physiologist Dale Bennett, which targets the civilian population and provides participants with the skills they need to develop effective exercise programs. And they'll be looking to do the same for nutrition classes to be offered, starting next month, by newly acquired nutritionist Ellen Harris.

"The more people we can get into our classes, the more we can help people get on the road to wellness," Mr. Carpenter said.

All HAWC and CHPS classes are listed in the monthly newsletter produced and distributed by the HAWC. Staff members have also now posted a complete listing of class offerings on the Air Force Materiel Command Wellness site www.afmcwellness.com.

Anyone seeking additional information about classes or other services may call the HAWC at (781) 377-6560.

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