Army Wellness Center - Frequently Asked Questions
Q: Do I need a referral to be seen in the Army Wellness Center?
A: There are three ways to be seen at the AWC:
- Referral by a healthcare provider
- Referral by your unit
- Self-referral. Call your local AWC so we can tailor your appointment to meet your needs and provide any special instructions.
Q: Can Family Members and Retirees be seen in the Army Wellness Center?
A: Yes, all Active Duty Family Members, Retirees and their spouses are eligible for Army Wellness Center services. All clients must be 18 years or older.
Q: What if I PCS?
A: There are currently 35 standardized AWCs CONUS and OCONUS. All visits are charted in your electronic medical record and also in the Army Wellness Center web-based system so your record will follow you and you can pick up where you left off with your wellness plan.
Q: Are my assessment results shared with my leadership?
A: No, your assessment results are not shared with your leadership. All AWCs follow Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) guidelines and will not share your personal information.
Q: What can the AWC Health Educator do to help me reach my goals?
A: The AWC Health Educators have a Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in Allied Health such as Exercise Science or Kinesiology and a National Commission for Certifying Agencies (NCCA) credential in Exercise Physiology, Strength and Conditioning, Personal Training, or Health Coaching. The rigorous and comprehensive training equips the Health Educator with the proper skills necessary to utilize the advanced technology to assess their clients and provide an accurate assessment of health risk, relevant education and health coaching to reach your goals. Your journey is centered on your needs and goals to improve and sustain your goals related to physical fitness, stress management, healthy sleep habits, weight management and nutrition, and body composition.
Q: Does the BOD POD® replace my Army Tape Test?
A: The AWC body composition analysis does not replace the Army Tape Test. The AWC body composition measurements can assist you in reaching your body composition and weight goals through consistently measuring your body composition every 30 days and will provide you highly accurate, safe, comfortable, and fast test results that include tracking your ratio of fat free mass to fat mass and those changes over time.
Q: Does the AWC offer virtual appointments?
A: Yes! If there is an AWC within 50 miles of your current location you can utilize the AWC services virtually. The AWC Health Educator can conduct a thorough Health Assessment Review and Health Coaching in the areas of physical fitness, stress management, healthy sleep habits, and nutrition and weight management. Call the AWC nearest you to make your virtual appointment! A virtual health coaching appointment is a safe and easy way to stay connected with your Health Educator and making progress towards your goals.
Q: Does the AWC provide meal plans?
A: The AWC provides resting metabolic testing (RMR) and adequate daily energy intake and energy expenditure recommendations for health weight management based upon your metabolic test results. The Health Educator may discuss healthy lifestyle elements related to weight loss, weight gain, or weight maintenance and explain dietary guidelines. In addition, the Health Educator will provide health coaching to guide you to make health-related behavioral changes through goal-setting, nutrition education, motivation, programming, support, and a referral to a Registered Dietician when necessary. If a client is looking for a specific meal plan the AWC can assist in providing a warm hand-off to the Registered Dietician and work collaboratively to assist you in reaching your nutrition and weight management goals.
Q: I am in the Civilian Fitness Program and I signed up for an appointment at the Army Wellness Center and was wondering how I should code that for my time sheet? Do we log that as CIV FIT time even if we have already used our 3 hours for the week?
A: The CIV FIT program allows an employee three hours a week to participate in CIV FIT activities. Per the policy, that three hours per week stipulates that it’s max 1 hour/day to participate in “physical fitness activities, preventive health events, education on health promotion topics (such as nutrition and exercise principles), and any other activities covered by the program”. If you have used your three hours for activities, then the AWC assessment can be submitted by the employee or sick leave or annual leave as it’s a preventive health appointment.
