by Richard Janecky

From left: Dr. Wayne Lee, CFPSA Director of Human Performance and Health Promotion; Lieutenant Colonel Greg Cook, Team Leader, Forces Health Protection Initiative; Grace Betts, CFPSA Senior Health Promotion Manager; and Captain (N) Margaret Kavanagh, Deputy Chief of Staff, Forces Health Protection are the team members behind the new health promotion initiative.

Intent on improving the welfare and quality of life for Canadian Forces (CF) members and their families, Canadian Forces Health Services (CFHS) is set to enhance the "Strengthening the Forces" health promotion program by delivering health awareness and education programs directly to the military community.

In partnership with the CF, the Canadian Forces Personnel Support Agency (CFPSA) will take over the responsibility of delivering health promotion programs developed by the CF’s Director General Health Services (DGHS) through a network of health promotion experts across Canada and overseas.

"This arrangement will mean better access for the military community to programs and information designed to bring about a positive change in lifestyles," says Dr. Wayne Lee, CFPSA Director of Human Performance and Health Promotion and one of the principle architects of the arrangement. "This partnership is an excellent opportunity to raise awareness of the kinds of things that help CF members and their families lead healthier lifestyles."

CFPSA’s Senior Health Promotion Manager Grace Betts, the first person hired under this new partnership, will have this initiative up and running by November 2002.

"This partnership is about getting health promotion out of clinics and hospitals and into the community where it belongs," she says. "It’s about getting people to make simple everyday decisions that will help them improve their health and, in turn, the quality of their lives."

As a part of the arrangement, the CFPSA is committed to hiring 35 full-time directors with expertise in health promotion and program delivery. They will be located at most CF locations in Canada and overseas and will be proactive in overseeing and delivering local health promotion activities. The CFHS will continue to set policies, provide funding and develop health promotion programs that focus on encouraging CF members and their families to adopt healthy lifestyles.

The re-vitalized ”Strengthening the Forces” program will include injury prevention, fitness, stress management, smoking, drug and alcohol, healthy nutrition, as well as other healthy lifestyle concerns.

According to Captain (N) Margaret Kavanagh, Deputy Chief of Staff for Health Protection, this new partnership is the next evolutionary step in the CFHS’s role in promoting healthier lifestyles.

"The CFPSA has demonstrated its ability to provide excellent family, sports and recreation services at the base/wing level," she says. "By partnering with the Agency we will ensure that CF members and their families get the kind of access to the health promotion programs they deserve," she says.