Progress in wellness made as culture changes embraced

Implementing change doesn’t happen overnight, especially when you’re dealing with an organization that embraces its history. The individuals involved in the MARPAC (Maritime Forces Pacific) Health and Wellness Strategy knew they would face challenges, but the appeal of providing a better way of life far outweighed any pushback that might come their way. And the results have been impressive and often heartwarming. 

The MARPAC Health and Wellness Strategy has five working groups: 

Small actions lead to big changes 

The Esquimalt base continuously works to develop and implement initiatives that contribute to the overall well-being of its members. The base currently has the strictest smoking policy in the CAF with the most limited smoking areas. The smoking policy aligns with the BC Clean Air Coalition policy, which limits the number of feet from a doorway someone can smoke. A key action was reducing the number of smoking areas from 350 to fewer than 30. In addition to instituting the smoking policy, there was education and marketing to help those trying to quit, including Addictions-Free Living working groups whose speakers shared their experiences with CAF members. Such seemingly small measures can effect real change, with public health literature showing that, when smoking is made more inconvenient by reducing areas to smoke as well as by increasing opportunities to quit, smoking rates go down.    

Let’s talk about it 

Mental health is an issue that affects everyone, but not everyone is comfortable admitting when things don’t feel right. One of the initiatives led by the Mental and Social Wellness working group was developing colour-coded language to describe how one might be feeling with the goal of “Living in the Green,” which means things are going well.  

The Mental Health Continuum, which uses colours to indicate where an individual is from a mental health perspective, was launched as a tool in the military about 15 years ago. When MARPAC launched its initiative 10 years ago it leveraged that awareness, but also chose the slogan “living in the green” as the colours aligned with stop lights. They used the language “living in the green” to promote awareness and understanding that mental health fitness is an active pursuit and requires work or daily “exercise”, much like our physical well-being. 

The scale also includes yellow, orange and red, and individuals are encouraged to share where they are on the spectrum, helping to eliminate the stigma often associated with mental health. 

“We have this language in our vocabulary on the base now,” said Shannon Black, acting co-chair of the Mental and Social Wellness working group. “You will hear people say, ‘I was in the orange’ or ‘I was living in the green’ and they use these colours to talk about their mental state at one time or another.” 

Walking the talk 

Incorporating an active lifestyle doesn’t have to mean taking up mountain biking or running a marathon. Recently, the Active Living working group introduced storybook walks. Pages from a children’s book are laminated and spread throughout military housing and families are encouraged to follow the story by walking from page to page. Not only does this allow individuals to get outside and enjoy a good walk, but it can also foster a love of adventure and reading. In addition, the books often tie into an important theme such as Truth and Reconciliation, anti-racism and sexual orientation. 

“It’s just an innovative way of promoting activity with your kids,” said Neilson. “The stories have been really well-received.” 

Helping with smart food choices 

Maintaining a healthy body weight doesn’t mean depriving yourself, just enjoying things in moderation.   

One of the initiatives taken by the Healthy Nutrition and Weight Wellness working group was reducing the access to pop and junk food in cafeteria areas and vending machines. 

“We don't want to eliminate the opportunity for people to buy junk food if they want to, but we just want to make it maybe not as in your face and not as available,” said Neilson. 

In addition to reducing junk food options, some other initiatives included things as simple as changing food placement or delivery. Having pre-cut fruit available was more appealing than a bowl of fruit on display, or putting healthier options at the forefront and moving less nutritious items out of the first line of sight encouraged people to make better choices without telling them to do so. 

“We’re just trying to adapt the Navy lifestyle to how our civilian culture has sort of moved on,” said Captain(Navy) Blair Saltel,  MARPAC chief of staff. “There’s an individual responsibility component and the intent is to bring those changes more organically.” 

Making a workplace a healthy space 

There’s no denying our careers make up a huge part of our daily lives, but feeling fulfilled and engaged at work can make a huge difference in how we approach our workplace responsibilities. 

The Organizational Wellness working group hosts various workshops, activities, anti-bullying campaigns and fosters an environment for open discussion. 

Looking forward 

Over the course of the past 10 years, significant change has taken place and members have responded favourably. The strategy has found that by making healthier options easier and more attractive – such as organizing a buffet line so that the healthier foods are more visible and appealing – people respond by making those healthier choices more often. In April 2023, the MARPAC Health & Wellness Team received the Commander RCN Unit Commendation Award, in recognition of their “enormous contributions to the overall physical and mental wellbeing of Royal Canadian Navy personnel.” 

But the work isn’t done. The MARPAC Health and Wellness Strategy is an evergreen initiative that evolves through the collaboration of all members.  

“I think the strength of the working group is that all the representatives are pretty keen and they represent a cross-section,” said Capt(N). Saltel. “It’s finding people, young people, who are interested in health and empowering them.” 

If you want to empower members under your command so that they can improve their health, contact the CAF Health Promotion program; their staff can help you identify barriers to health and wellness within your lines, and support you with initiatives that can contribute to meaningful change.