By Sgt. Nelson Robles
2nd Infantry Brigade Combat Team Public Affairs Office, 4th Infantry Division
A Soldier from 2nd Battalion, 12th Infantry Regiment, 2nd Infantry Brigade Combat Team, 4th Infantry Division, observes the effects of alcohol impairment through the use of goggles at an Army Substance Abuse Program information table Jan. 13, 2016. (Photo by Sgt. Nelson Robles)
Services available to Soldiers and their Families took center stage during a Jan. 13, 2016, community resources information fair held at a 2nd Battalion, 12th Infantry Regiment, company operations facility.
Representatives from various post organizations traveled to the 2nd Infantry Brigade Combat Team, 4th Infantry Division, unit area to inform Soldiers about their programs.
“We are launching a new concept here at Fort Carson in pursuit of raising awareness of the different services available to Soldiers, so we decided to join our efforts with other community resources such as finance and public health representatives,” said Norma Rivera, risk reduction coordinator, Army Substance Abuse Program (ASAP). “We understand that Soldiers can’t always make it to the Special Events Center or the theater, (so) we have to inform the Soldiers where they work. The intent is that if this goes well, we will make it into a best practice.”
The event highlighted community services available to meet the needs of the Army’s workforce and their Families.
“We’re here to deter negative behavior and enhance positive behavior,” said Rivera.
The fair included a variety of representatives to help raise awareness of high-risk behaviors to include drug and alcohol abuse, spouse and child abuse and financial issues.
Rivera noted there were representatives from finance and the Army Community Service Employment Readiness Program. Public Health provided preventative medicine information. ASAP topics included drug testing, raising awareness of alcohol abuse and driving under the influence (DUI), suicide prevention and risk reduction.
The event organizers ensured the Soldiers received hands-on time with representatives.
“It’s really good to have the resources available at the unit level. We have a lot of Soldiers who are new to the Army or unit and don’t know about them,” said Sgt. Jesus Valerio, team leader, 2nd Bn., 12th Inf. Reg. “With a deployment coming up, the (Soldiers) are at the tables learning what’s out there for them and their Families.”
The fair also provided leaders with information to help prevent DUIs and suicides and reminded Soldiers of the help available.
“It’s a horrible feeling to lose a battle buddy. We try to mitigate as much as we can, but having subject matter experts come to them can make the difference,” said Valerio.
The event offered a venue for an entire battalion of Soldiers to ask questions directly to respective representatives.
“It was really beneficial to have this fair come out to our (unit) because it allows the Soldiers to learn about these services without traveling,” said Capt. Scott Darhower, commander, Headquarters and Headquarters Company, 2nd Bn., 12th Inf. Reg., who hosted the event. “Soldiers are really busy … after the holidays, keeping it local is very beneficial.
“Any resource available to the Soldier is going to benefit them. Being able to see everything available at one location and get the advice and help that they need … will help not just the Soldier but the Army,” he added.
Contact the Fort Carson ASAP office at 526-8245 for information about hosting a community resources information fair. Visit http://www.carson.army.mil/dhr/DHR/ASAP.html for more information about ASAP or http://www.carson.army.mil/acs/ for information on ACS programs.