DVIDS – News – Health and Wellness Program Prioritizes Civilian Health and Quality of Life

FORT CAVAZOS, Texas — For Department of the Army civilians, their days are often filled with emails, meetings and long hours sitting in front of a computer, but Fort Cavazos has boosted utilization of the Army’s Civilian Health and Wellness Program and revitalized efforts to improve civilian health outcomes.

The Civilian Health and Wellness Program is a voluntary initiative for Army budgeted and non-budgeted civilians. With supervisor approval, civilians are granted managed leave of up to three hours per week, one hour per day, up to a maximum of 80 hours per calendar year.

Part-time team members can accrue administrative leave pro-rated based on the number of hours worked during a pay period, even if the team member is working remotely.

The activity must be a command sponsored program that runs on the installation.

“One of the reasons the military adopted this program is because of the health outcomes for its employees,” said Virginia Sanford, supervisor of the Department of Public Works’ Endangered Species Management Team and a program participant, “so employees who are physically healthy tend to use less sick leave.”

The goal of the program is to improve the health, fitness and quality of life of DA civilians while increasing organizational wellness and mission productivity. Employees who have the opportunity to participate in wellness programs have proven to experience increased work productivity and life satisfaction.

The Fort Cavazos Workforce Development Office oversees the implementation of the wellness program on the installation. Workforce Development Office Director Shelley Tippens said the program benefits both team members and the garrison.

“We encourage them (civilian employees) to participate because of the benefits of being a healthy team member,” Tippens said. “For the garrison, this activity creates a healthy environment for our team members who come to work.”

Tippens’ team has expanded its outreach efforts to inform civilians about the program.

“I’ve been distributing flyers and emails, giving them (supervisors) the information and the knowledge and showing them how it can benefit staff morale and the supervisors’ own wellbeing,” Tippens said.

Team members can participate in numerous command-sponsored activities aimed at achieving program goals, including health fairs, comprehensive education courses, cardiovascular and wellness activities and use of garrison fitness facilities.

Emily Cox, fitness program specialist for the Department of Family, Morale, Welfare and Recreation, said the center has numerous activities that meet the program’s criteria.

The center employs about a dozen staff members, all of whom are certified in their fields of study. Throughout the year, it offers applied functional fitness, group fitness, core rehab, spin, glute camps, yoga, hybrid training, special events and more. Cox said the first stop for participants is the Fort Cavazos Army Wellness Center.

“They’re a great resource that has a variety of technologies that can provide biomarkers,” Cox says, “meaning they have a Bod Pod that will read things like water percentage, muscle percentage, fat percentage, etc. So, for example, if someone is working out with a personal trainer or starting a new program with our fitness classes, it’s convenient for them to go and get a Bod Pod measurement.”

Cox said he encourages participants to read it again after a few weeks or months to see how the program has helped them.

In addition to the Bod Pods, the Army Wellness Center also offers health coaching, metabolic and fitness testing, and educational classes on nutrition, sleep and stress management.

Although the number of team members currently participating in the program is limited, some who have signed contracts with their managers have found it beneficial.

“I attended the Army Wellness Center from 2020 to 2022,” said Edwin Rivas-Colon, a civil engineer with DPW. “I participated in all the programs, including fitness, stress management, and nutrition, and benefited greatly. I recall the last time I attended was around March of 2022. After that, I stopped attending, gained weight, and I was back to square one.”

“I recently participated in a six-week challenge, which I finished on April 19th,” Rivas Colon continued. “It was so good, I’m now in comeback mode after a two-year break from my routine.”

Rivas-Colon hopes that by participating in the program, participants will lose weight, manage stress, sleep better and improve their overall health.

Donna Tomsick, a principal management analyst in the Office of Planning, Analysis and Integration, said she had participated in the program before and was inspired to participate again after seeing her colleagues training.

“I was showing someone around the building (III Armored Corps Headquarters) and I met (Garrison Safety Director) Mike Hampton and the other ladies … and I saw what they were doing,” Tomsick said, “and they offered me the opportunity to come here and learn CrossFit and what they were doing.”

Tomsic participates in small-group training sessions with other team members in the III Armored Corps headquarters basement gym. The women join the sessions during their lunch break, and Tomsic works part of an hour into the session.

Tomsic also expects to see big benefits from the program.

“It improves your health and reduces stress,” she says. “An added benefit is getting to know other people in the building and around the garrison.”

Sanford had his own reasons for joining the program.

“Part of what motivates me is that fitness is important to me as a personal value and also a value that the military holds,” Sanford explained. “I’m a veteran, so this was a good way to blend my personal goals with the Army’s workforce health and wellness efforts.”

Sanford and Tomsic say their jobs are fast-paced and they sometimes have to prioritize the mission, but the support of their managers and the flexibility of the program allow them to fit their training around their week.

“Typically, at the beginning of the week, I review all my meetings, appointments, and work that needs to be done, and then submit my request to my manager so I can work out when I can fit it in with everything else that’s going on,” Sanford said.

Sanford’s goal is to devote at least an hour and a half to the program each week, and her training routine typically consists of swimming, cycling, running and weightlifting.

Civilians participating in the program are required to sign a written program participation agreement annually during the performance evaluation period. Individuals must self-certify that they are not aware of any health conditions or limitations that may put them at risk while participating in the program.

To find complete Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) and contracts, team members should visit the Garrison’s SharePoint page, which also contains detailed information on how to log hours into the payroll system for budgeted and non-budgeted team members. For more information, contact the Workforce Development Office at 254-287-7337.