HONOLULU, Hawaii (Feb. 21, 2017) -- Regional Health Command-Pacific (RHC-P) has rolled out the Army’s Not in My Squad (NIMS) initiative – a grass roots approach to creating a climate of dignity, respect and cohesion.
The Army leadership series builds upon the premise that the best place to check the pulse of an organization and to impact change is at the squad level.
RHC-P Sexual Harassment/Assault Response and Prevention Program Manager, Master Sgt. Kevin Edmondson has spearheaded the workshop initiative for select sergeant and staff sergeant Medical Command (MEDCOM) Soldiers in the Pacific region and says the seminar is structured to test and assess the state of trust and cohesion of squad units, the foundation upon which the Army builds its formations. “During the workshop, participants are asked questions that get them thinking about the challenges that they may be facing. Often times, they realize that the challenges they’ve identified might be shared across the group and that they already have a solution from within their group that can be implemented immediately. This is what our program facilitators strive to accomplish – to empower squad leaders to not only voice their challenges, but to provide potential solutions in an effort to build and maintain dignity and respect throughout the command,” said Edmondson.
Staff Sgt. Dawn Irvine an RHC-P NIMS facilitator, says the initiative reshapes the way change can be made in the Army. “We’re empowering junior NCOs to come up with their own ways to solve challenges at their level versus having to always to get the solutions from up top. When Soldiers feel they can make change at their level, it helps foster a better environment and culture across the entire team,” she said.
NIMS is essentially helping Soldiers become better NCOs. With such an important focus, facilitators took extra steps to ensure maximum impact. “We took the Soldiers away from their daily work areas and placed them in a neutral setting and also allowed them to wear civilian attire for the week,” said Edmondson. “This took away uniform barriers and allowed the squad units to more freely speak their minds,” he said.
The workshop concludes with Soldiers briefing any challenges that can’t be solved at their levels to leaders, along with potential solutions. RHC-P command teams can then implement a plan of action to address legitimate concerns that may arise during the NIMS workshop in order to affect positive change, strengthen the organization and improve the Army leadership culture as a whole.
Edmondson, who helped RHC-P become the first organization in the active Army to independently, and without on-site assistance from the Center for the Army Profession and Ethics (CAPE) and Army Research Institute (ARI) launch the NIMS program, is now set to lead an Army Medical Command-level workshop, along with other RHC-P leaders, Sgt. 1st Class Kristen Stall, Staff Sgt. India Marquez, Staff Sgt. Trisha Ronk and Staff Sgt. Dawn Irvine, March 1-3, 2017.
Attendees at the workshop will include select non-commissioned officers from all organizations within MEDCOM.
About RHC-P:
RHC-P's mission is to provide Combatant Commanders with medically ready forces and ready medical forces conducting health service support in all phases of military operation.