Bayne-Jones Army Community Hospital opened the doors of two new buildings designed to house its preventive medicine services April 18. Previously, preventive medicine services were scattered around the installation in different locations.

BJACH Commander, Col. David K. Dunning, said, For the past 10 months, at a cost of $1.4 million each, United Excel has constructed these new contemporary facilities that will keep our Soldiers and Department of the Army civilians healthy while providing a valuable service to the Fort Polk community.

According to Department of the Army pamphlet 40-11, Medical Services Preventive Medicine, Army preventive medicine supports the joint strategy for force health protection.

Healthy and fit personnel are more resistant to disease, less prone to injury and the influence of stress and better able to quickly recover should illness or injury occur. The process of creating a healthy and fit force begins at entry to service and continues throughout an individuals time in service.

Preventive medicine works to thwart illness through education, training and outreach services. The preventive medicine department ensures the Joint-Readiness Training Center and Fort Polk Soldiers, civilians, Family members and retirees have access to vital health information and services, said Dunning.

Nestled behind the Red Roof Inn along Georgia Avenue, bldg 3515 is comprised of Army public health nursing, occupational health and the sexually transmitted disease and human immunodeficiency virus programs. Health promotion, environmental health and industrial hygiene services are rendered in bldg 3516.

The components of preventive medicine housed in the two buildings include:

-Working to prevent and alleviate illness and injury, Army public health nursing staff provides community health services. Through consultation and educational facilitation, the Army public health nursing department supports Child, Youth and School Services and Family child care homes, oversees tuberculosis surveillance and runs the HIV/STD program.

-BJACHs Occupational Health team safeguards fitness levels of Soldiers and civilians by conducting weekly schools of standards for in-processing Soldiers, performing annual physicals for civilians and administering immunizations and vaccinations. They also oversee Soldier Readiness Processing, the Civilian Resource Conservation Program and conduct occupational worksite visits to stay abreast of operations and prevent potential hazards.

-Delivering a healthy and fit force falls under the auspices of BJACHs health promotion section. Elements within this program include in-processing periodic health assessment; tobacco cessation; wellness screenings, counseling and referrals; and health education, awareness campaigns and unit-level training. Health promotions also conduct monthly over-the-counter medications and infant-mother classes, instruct parents in proper car safety seat installation and set up bimonthly healthy lifestyle booths at the Main Post Exchange and BJACH.

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Preventive medicine renovation joins services under two roofs