1. Promising/Best Practices Across Pilot States
What is a Promising/Best Practice?
Best or promising practice decisions, activities and interventions in the context of health promotion and disease prevention:
Contextual factors such as socio-cultural conditions are of extreme importance in health promotion and increase the complexity of an intervention. The goal is not just to affect specific life situations and contexts, but also to achieve changes in the dynamic, political and sociocultural environment by working together with other stakeholders.
Systematically take into account the values and principles of health promotion and public health
Are supported by current scientific knowledge as well as knowledge from experts and derived from practice
Observe the relevant context factors and achieve the intended positive effects whilst avoiding negative ones.
Examples of Promising/Best Practices
Promising Practices were identified during the Building Healthy Military Communities Rapid Needs Assessment. Each practice listed below is detailed in the following section to address program capabilities, reach and impact. This section is intended to showcase promising practices, draw connections with current initiatives across all states and incite new idea generation.
State
Promising Practice Example FL
Naval Air Station, Morale, Welfare and Recreation (MWR) – Coordinating Activities and Services using the MWR App IN
Military Families Basic Needs and Thanksgiving Sponsorship Program
Indiana Army Wellness Center MD
Union Hospital of Cecil County collaboration with Cecil County Health Department to execute Community Health Needs Assessment (CHNA) and Community Health Improvement Plan (CHIP) MN
Beyond the Yellow Ribbon (BTYR)
BTYR Company Differential Pay Policy MS
Mississippi National Guard (MSNG) Outreach Services via Mobile APP NM
Center for Workforce at San Juan College; flexibility to open programs when needs arises OK
Oklahoma Veteran Connections (OKVC)

2. Indiana: Promising/Best Practice
Indiana National Guard (INNG) – Wellness Directorate
Program Overview
The Indiana Wellness Directorate (IWD) merges strategy and culture in order to support the maintenance and improvement of total force readiness. The IWD resulted from operational and institutional innovations based on thinking, learning, analyzing, and refining previous INNG Total Force Fitness (TFF) concepts and efforts. The underpinning methodology is to convert TFF Strategic Guidance and INNG TFF concepts from theory into a tactical operation, with the intention of creating synergy across all TFF domains.
Beginning in January 2019 the Army Wellness Center (AWC) capability and all TFF domains will be fully incorporated into “wellness hubs,” creating windows of TFF dominance that begin with the Army Guard Recruit Sustainment Program and Air Guard Patriot Flights. These programs prepare new Reserve Component (RC) Warriors prior to shipping to their respective Basic Trainings and heightened emphasis will be placed on those recruits projected to be at a high risk for not graduating. Upon graduating, these new Soldiers and Airmen will enroll in a new wellness program, which will require follow-up at a wellness hub between 6-8 months and again at months post graduation. This will further increase the frequency at which the next generation of leaders are maneuvered through the TFF domains.
The program utilizes credentialed fitness and wellness professionals and designated Master Fitness Trainers. The AWC will also employ a referral for services process based on the guidance of the State Surgeon. Mandatory AWC appointments are now in effect for Indiana RC Service members (SMs) flagged for exceeding service body composition standards, and a more intensive Life-Fit Program is now mandated for those at risk of separation. Being proactive means intervening by advocating for SM’s to make healthy and sustainable lifestyle choices. This preventative approach will also empower better health through better partnerships with academia, state government, and the private sector - all of which have a vested interest in pursuing healthier communities and workforces. Providing more ready individuals will foster a sense of belonging, excitement and competition within the units, thus collectively leading to a wellness change in culture across the force.
Jared K. Harper - Director of Indiana Wellness, ext: 64324
SSG Sinnett, Cameron - Medical Liaison, ext: 62700
Wellness Centers
Camp Atterbury
Federal funded
Program Manager (x1) GS-11-12: Management and of AWCs, IWD deputy director
Health Educators GS-9-11 (x3) Contractors: Provide health assessments and coaching to clients
Admin (x1) GS-7: Provide administrative support for the Wellness Center
Lawrence Armory State funded
South Bend Armory
Health Educators GS-9-11 (x2) Contractors: Provide health assessments and coaching to clients
Medical Liaison
Medical Liaison (x1) GS-9: Liaison between Wellness Centers and Medical Branch, facilitates health partnerships with external stakeholders

3. Indiana: Promising/Best Practice
Indiana National Guard (INNG) – Wellness Directorate
Program Reach
The programs of the IWD are available to Service members and their dependents of all branches and components. Wellness Center services are additionally available to DoD civilian employees. Through collaboration with the State Government, the Lawrence Wellness center facility was stood up, which even further expands AWC access to Indiana State employees, primarily targeting police, fire, and EMS. This facility, however, cannot see Federal DoD civilian employees due to the lack of a cooperative agreement.
The Indiana Wellness Directorate communicates with the community by attending public health promotional events, active involvement with the community health promotion council, direct collaboration with industry and academia, and by operating a suite of social media platforms through the Hoote suite program. There is also extensive direct marketing across all INNG facilities, Camp Atterbury, and by directly reaching out to units that are scheduled to train on Camp Atterbury over the coming months.
As a solution to the access challenges faced by the INNG’s geographically dispersed population, the Indiana Wellness Directorate (IWD) aims to reduce the amount of travel time to available services such as the Army Wellness Center. The desired end state is to have a wellness center within a 2 hour distance from anywhere in the state. By using armories that have already been established, AWCs are being placed in familiar places.
The Army Wellness Center serves to educate individuals about the aspects of health-related physical fitness. The in-person wellness coaching approach has been shown to have a longer lasting effect than remote coaching alone. Both, however, have been found to be effective in weight loss. In order to keep standards and practice as consistent as possible, the research is derived from the scientific community and organizations, such as the American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM) and the National Strength and Conditioning Association (NSCA), which is then presented by subject matter experts with institutional knowledge, field experience and incentivized self-development.
These experts are integrated into the culture of the National Guard either by firsthand experience in service, or from Service members whom they work beside, such as state level Master Fitness Trainers (MFTs). The guidance from these individuals, and from the directorate itself, is to create a simple message that is easy to reproduce and then teach its application to Service members and their families.
The wellness hub also serves as a conduit for all domains of TFF to be present at and enable access to their services.
Program Impact

4. Indiana: Promising/Best Practice
INNG – Wellness Directorate
Additional Information
J-1
Personnel
Indiana Wellness
Directorate
J-9
Family Programs
Admin
Assistant
Program Analyst
DIRECTOR
Dietician (state)
Supply
State MFT
Wellness Centers
Wellness Center
Medical Liaison
1. MFT Support Structure
2. RSD Integration
3. Life-Fit Program
4. Leader Development Opportunities
Camp Atterbury
Lawrence Armory
South Bend Armory
Desired Future Expansion
Evansville Armory
Lafayette Armory
PHA to AWC Referral
Community Health Partnerships
Leader Development Opportunities
INDIANA WELLNESS DIRECTORATE
Governing agency, Checks & balances, Synchronization. Special Staff of TAG
Director (x1) GS-12-13: Approval authority, Outreach with External & Internal stakeholders
DIRECTORATE STAFF
Admin (x1) GS-7: Provide administrative support for the directorate.
Program Analyst (x1) GS-9: Track & Analyze directorate data, directorate budget management
Dietician (x1 State) GS-11: Oversee Nutrition Improvement, and individual counseling
Supply/Contracting (x1) GS-7: GPC card holder, supply for all LOE, Contracting POC
STATE MFT
State MFT (x1) E-7 AGR: Oversees, maintains, and improves State Wide MFT Corp
Life-Fit NCOIC (x1) E-7 AGR: Primary responsibility is successful execution of Life-fit program
Life-Fit Instructors (x2) E-6 AGR: Primary responsibility is instruction of Life-fit courseware