IDS coordinates care, promotes Wingman concept for total force Published Oct. 15, 2010 By Micah Garbarino Tinker Public Affairs TINKER AIR FORCE BASE, Okla. -- On the second Tuesday of every month, a group gathers at the Tinker Chapel. They are there to save lives -- maybe even yours. The 20 to 25 members of Tinker's Integrated Delivery System are focused on promoting the health and wellness of the total force -- active duty, Reserve, Guard, civilians and retirees. "A lot of times, there is a misconception by people that the Wingman concept is only for the military, but on the IDS board we are just as focused on our civilian force," said Robyn Crowder, who along with Lt. Col. Kevin McCal, chairs the IDS council, locally known as the "Tinker Care Network." The Integrated Delivery System may sound like a machine, an odd name for a support network, but when all the agencies are working together to help an individual in need as effectively and efficiently as possible, the name fits perfectly. "If a person is suicidal, we don't just give them the number to a suicide hotline and let them wander off on their own. There could be several different reasons that person is feeling suicidal," Ms. Crowder said. "If that person struggles with depression, we would link them with the Employee Assistance Program. Maybe financial problems are making things worse -- we would get them counseling at the Airmen and Family Readiness center." As federal employees, Air Force civilians have a variety of helping agencies available to them and IDS links all of them in a chain of care. One of the main jobs of the IDS is to track trends in negative behavior. They try to "figure out what's going on and how we can fix it," Ms. Crowder said. Some of the most frequent issues encountered in the civilian workforce here are depression, anxiety, stress and family issues. These are areas where practicing the Wingman concept can pay off huge. The IDS has been proactive in promoting this with Wingman Days, the Wingman Boldface cards and the Tinker Take Off's Wingman Monthly, published the last week of every month. All of those things are important, but not as important as a knowledgeable friend or supervisor. Relationships with coworkers are "vitally important," Ms. Crowder said. "It is very important that we get to know each other in a 'normal state' so we can recognize when our coworkers are in trouble," Ms. Crowder said. These are lessons that Team Tinker can take to the surrounding community at home, school or church. One member of Team Tinker found out from his son that a classmate was suicidal. The man was able to use his Wingman Boldface card to get that classmate the help he needed from an off-base agency. "No one is out there alone. There are so many resources available to us and all we have to do is ask," she said. Airman and Family Readiness Center The A&FRC has the following programs for all active duty, Department of Defense employees and their families: · Air Force Aid Society · Airman's Attic/Food Pantry · Career Focus Program · Loan Locker · Information & Referral · Personal Financial Management Program · Relocation Assistance Program · Family Readiness · Family Life Education · Transition Assistance Program The center is located in Bldg. 6001. Call 739-2747 for more information. Equal Opportunity The Tinker Equal Opportunity office provides the following services for active duty, DOD employees, retirees and their families: · Human relations education · Assists with concerns that affect health, behavior, duty performance and the mission. · Clarifies complaints alleging unlawful discrimination and sexual harassment · Assists commanders in assessing the human relations climate in their organization · Referral assistance for all customers that do not fall under our purview The office is located in Bldg. 201E, Rooms 141-145. Call 739-2104 or 739-2105 for more information. Health and Wellness Center The HAWC has the following programs to help promote healthier lifestyles for all active duty and DOD employees: · Nutrition and weight management · Physical fitness resources · Relaxation room and other stress management resources · Tobacco cessation · Cardiovascular disease and cancer prevention The HAWC is in Bldg. 5922. Call 734-5505 for more information. Family Advocacy Program The Family Advocacy Program includes the following services (Many open to all): · Marriage/Family Counseling · Classes for couples, singles and parents · New Parent Support Program-- Classes and services for new and expectant parents · Domestic Violence Intervention -- Assessment, referrals, individual, marital, family counseling · Developmental Consultations and consultations with a child and parenting specialist (Parent Talk) · Domestic Abuse Victim Advocate Family Advocacy is located in the 72nd Medical Group, Bldg. 5801. Call 734-4390 for more information. Mental Health Clinic Services that are available to active duty only: · Individual counseling · Medication management · Stress management · Anger management · Healthy Thinking class · Special Needs Identification and Assignment Coordination Program (active duty and family) The clinic is located in the 72nd Medical Group, Bldg. 5801. Call 734-4393 for more information. Victim Witness Assistance Program The program is available to anyone who is a victim or witness of a crime committed by an active duty member, and has suffered physical, financial or emotional trauma as a result. The office is located in Bldg. 460. For more information, call 739-2684. Other resources Civilian only: · American Federation of Government Employees, 733-3851 · Employee Assistance Program, 800-222-0364 Military only: · Command Post, 739-2171 All: · Base Chapel, 734-2111 · National Suicide Prevention Lifeline, 800-273-TALK · Oklahoma County Crisis Intervention Center, 522-8100 · Security Forces, 734-3737 · Sexual Assault Prevention and Response, 734-SARC · Wingman Program, 734-9293