Photo By Senior Airman Amelio Brown | Team McConnell members celebrate during a ribbon cutting ceremony at McConnell Air...... read more read more
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MCCONNELL AIR FORCE BASE, Kan. – McConnell Air Force Base opens up a new Connect to Care facility, located in building 795, which will provide Airmen with a “no wrong door” approach when it comes to seeking support from base helping agencies.
This new approach seeks to prioritize the needs of individuals seeking care and support and ensures seamless coordination between helping agencies known as a “warm handoff”. Connect to Care ensures no individual or group encounters an obstacle to the support they need.
“It’s always just been SAPR in our office setting and we’d do referrals out to other agencies, but to have us all here together is just…priceless”, said Vickie Hayden, sexual assault response coordinator. “We’ve always done a really great job, but to have those people right here, it’s not just beneficial for us but it's more beneficial for the Airmen coming in here for services.”
In September of 2023, McConnell received a grant to begin the 4.2-million dollar renovation project. The project would take 26 months to complete and have brought together sexual assault victim advocates, a domestic abuse victim advocate, a Chaplain, and the Integrated Resilience Office, all under one roof.
“It makes it an area where all the entities an individual would need are housed in one area instead of having to be taken to different places. It’s much more convenient for them, which is what we want. We want to help them in the most efficient and protective way we can”, said Christie Smith, integrated prevention and response director. “It kind of makes this center a one stop shop”
This model is in response to the 2021 Independent Review Commission on Sexual Assault in the military. McConnell is now one of a handful of bases to adopt the new model and join the initiative of continuing to advance military readiness by ensuring Airmen have the resources they need to thrive.
| Date Taken: | 12.19.2025 |
| Date Posted: | 01.07.2026 16:18 |
| Story ID: | 555804 |
| Location: | MCCONNELL AIR FORCE BASE, KANSAS, US |
| Web Views: | 11 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
This work, Connect to care: A one stop shop, by SrA Amelio Brown, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
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