GRISSOM AIR RESERVE BASE, Ind. -- Some resist, some adapt, but often time’s positive change is embraced when productivity is on the line.
Grissom’s Community Action Team stood up in 2017 and functions as a cross-organizational decision making forum to identify, resolve, or elevate issues that impact Airmen. The team is comprised of various agencies throughout the base.
“The functional areas that make up the CAT include mental health, chaplain, sexual assault response coordinator, Airmen and Family Readiness, equal opportunity office, exercise physiologist, drug demand and leadership,” said Christy Shives, violence prevention integrator and CAT chair. “We look at policies and procedures that affect our Airmen, family members and retirees.
“The purpose of the CAT is to ensure that we meet the needs of our whole community,” added Shives.
To meet Airmen needs, agencies plan in order to identify trends unique to Grissom.
“We develop, collect and share pertinent non-identifying data our agencies bring to the table,” said Shives. “Looking at the numbers and topics, we want to ensure that we have Grissom-specific data so we can identify specific needs.”
Once specific issues are identified as a trend, the team determines the risk factors that contribute to those issues.
“Part of our function is to analyze and identify three to five top trending issues,” she said. “When started in 2017, the top three trends were relationship, stress management and workplace relationships.
“When we looked at top trending data from two years ago the risk factors that contributed to those issues were lack of communication and some members felt a general lack of respect,” she said. “We felt that everyone could enhance their communication skills and that we could help foster healthy relationships, reduce stress and prevent workplace issues.
To get there, the team identifies a program, practice, policy or procedure – P4—to implement and address the trending risk factors.
“This process is called Getting to Outcomes,” she said. “It’s a 10-step process to create a community action plan.”
After doing research the team opted for the Four Lenses Program to enhance the CAP.
“We continue with the 10-steps and are gathering data for our process and outcome evaluations,” she said. “The evaluations are designed to tell us everyone perception of what they learned.”
The four lenses workshop is just one of many programs that community members are able to utilize in their day-to-day lives.
“All of the functional areas are working very hard with their own workshops, putting their own plans together to provide their own services,” she explained.
The end-goal for the team is to make a 180 degree turn from negative trends and positively impact those most affected by it.
“Currently we are on step seven and eight which is our evaluations, but we continue to gather data,” said Shives.
The CAP lasts for two years and this current process will run through December of 2020.
“Our goal is that our trends will change and shift, and we make an impact with every new measure we implement,” she said.
Another way Airmen are able to help is by participating in surveys.
“When you participate in the headquarters surveys, there is one called the community feedback tool that is data specific to community type programs,” she said. “When you see those come out any participation helps us make more informed decisions.”
Giving credit where credit is due, Shives is grateful to the men and women of Grissom for their hard work to make this effort a success.
“A huge thank you to everyone involved because it is absolutely a team effort,” added Shives. “Thank you to leadership for their support and their engagement as well as the Grissom community and CAT members who participate and put together all of their data.”
The 434th ARW is the largest KC-135R Stratotanker unit in the Air Force Reserve Command. The Citizen Airmen from the Hoosier Wing routinely deploy around the world in support of the Air Force mission.
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