ARLINGTON, Va. - The Army National Guard today launched a Facebook page to promote health, wellness and fitness among Army National Guard Soldiers and their families. The page, which can be found at www.facebook.com/ARNGHealth, will be used to promote dialogue on a variety of important health topics, including sleep, activity, nutrition, injury prevention and emotional health.
"In order to maintain a ready and resilient force, we depend on Soldiers who are physically, mentally and emotionally fit," said Col. Anne Naclerio, Army National Guard chief surgeon. "The Army National Guard is committed to providing our Soldiers and families with resources to achieve and maintain high standards, as well as avenues to seek out support when they need it."
Naclerio said launching a Facebook page will reach Soldiers and families where they already spend time and help her office stay in touch with the needs of the Army Guard community. The page is the first step in the development of a comprehensive health promotion effort the Chief Surgeon’s office plans to launch in the spring.
Army Guard leaders consider the page to be an important outlet to learning about topics and resources that are important to Guard Soldiers and their families.
Initially, Army Guard Soldiers can expect to find original posts, photos and links to information on nutrition, exercise, injury prevention, substance misuse, stress reduction and tobacco cessation on the Army National Guard Facebook page.
Future posts and dialogue will reflect the health interests and needs of the Army National Guard community, taking cues from Soldiers’ and family members’ comments on the page and reinforcing health promotion priorities established by Army National Guard leadership.
“We are excited to create a space where our Soldiers and Families can share, learn and interact with one another on health topics that specifically relate to the Army National Guard community,” said Col. Jack Husak, chief of preventive medicine for the Army National Guard. “We also look forward to hearing about what’s important to the Soldiers and families and will do our best to tailor a program that responds to meet their needs.”
Soldiers and their families are encouraged to “Like” the Army National Guard Health Facebook page and actively participate by posting comments and photos.