Photo By Jean Graves | FORT JOHNSON, La. — Bayne-Jones Army Community Hospital’s Behavioral Health...... read more read more
FORT JOHNSON, La. — Bayne-Jones Army Community Hospital’s Behavioral Health Department opened its doors Feb. 19 to leadership from the 46th Engineer Battalion, kicking off a new initiative aimed at educating commanders on mental health resources available at the Joint Readiness Training Center and Fort Johnson, Louisiana. The session marked the first of a weekly Wednesday program designed to enhance awareness of installation support services for Soldiers and their Families.
Lt. Col. Alexander Ragan, installation director of psychological health and chief of behavioral health at BJACH, said the weekly tours are designed to provide company-level leaders and Soldiers with direct exposure to behavioral health resources in a nonthreatening and educational setting.
“These tours aim to decrease stigma by normalizing behavioral health discussions, demystifying services, and fostering an environment where seeking help is seen as a proactive and responsible decision,” he said. “The target audience includes command teams at the company level and below because they are closest to the Soldiers and play a critical role in shaping unit culture. Our goal is to equip them with the knowledge and confidence to support their Soldiers in accessing mental health care without fear of judgment or career repercussions.”
Ragan emphasized several key outcomes he hopes to achieve through the initiative, including increased help-seeking behaviors, greater leader involvement, early intervention and prevention, improved unit cohesion and readiness, and strengthened resilience.
“Behavioral health support works best when it is integrated into the unit culture, rather than being seen as a last resort,” he said. “By offering these tours we hope to normalize conversations about mental health and reinforce that asking for help, offering help, and accepting help are signs of strong leadership and professionalism.”
Ragan said he chose the 46th Engineers first because of their leadership’s proactive stance on Soldier wellness.
“By starting with a unit that so strongly values Soldier well-being, we are taking a strategic approach. People who are wide open to change serve as a success story to encourage broader adoption of our tours,” he said. “The next unit is BJACH’s company command and clinical leadership.”
Maj. Ronnett Bailey, a licensed clinical social worker and behavioral health officer embedded with the 20th Engineer Brigade, joined the battalion leadership on the tour.
“Our brigade has four battalions in six different locations,” she said. “I travel every other month to our units and provide prevention classes to mitigate risk. We don’t want to be reactive; we want to be embedded, connected, and build trust and camaraderie.”
Bailey said the BJACH tour initiative is a valuable opportunity to bring the medical and operational teams together, fostering a shared understanding to better support Soldiers.
“It’s preventative,” she said. “Our command teams are the ones leading our Soldiers. If they know the resources and the people they can call, we can quickly get Soldiers the most appropriate help when they need it.”
Bailey emphasized that this initiative is breaking down barriers between behavioral health services and leadership.
Capt. Hayden Schappell, commander for the 46th Engineer Battalion Forward Support Company, said the tour helped him better understand the vectoring process and the resources available to his Soldiers.
“As commanders, beyond knowing something is off with one of our Soldiers, we don’t have the training or tools to assess them properly,” he said. “This initiative helps us to better understand the next steps.”
Schappell noted certain incidents, such as DUIs or domestic abuse cases, can trigger a clinical behavioral health response.
“Meeting the people face-to-face that we interact with regularly was beneficial,” he said. “This tour also improved our understanding of the process when our Soldiers seek out behavioral health services on their own. Now we know where our Soldiers are going, what the vectoring questionnaire looks like, and the different resources they will be directed to after their initial intake.”
Lt. Col. Shawn Woodard, commander of the 46th Engineer Battalion, said understanding the intake process was his biggest takeaway from the tour.
“Now my commanders, first sergeants and I can better assist individuals seeking help,” he said. “This is important because our improved understanding of behavioral health resources will enable us, as leaders, to mitigate the potential negative outcomes associated with issues Soldiers are facing in their personal and professional lives. By getting them the help they need early on, we get them back in the fight.”
“When Soldiers receive the right support at the right time, they are more focused, resilient, and better prepared for their missions,” he said. “This initiative ensures we’re not only taking care of our people but also strengthening overall unit effectiveness.”
Woodard encouraged every unit to take advantage of these weekly tours sooner rather than later.
“The quicker we learn about behavioral health resources and programs at Fort Johnson, the better equipped we are to assist our Soldiers,” he said.
Editor’s Note: The Military Health System has implemented Targeted Care at all military hospitals and clinics to give patients the right mental health support for their specific needs. The process starts with a preliminary assessment that vectors individuals to the best resource along the continuum of care. Learn more at: https://www.health.mil/Military-Health-Topics/Mental-Health/Targeted-Care
| Date Taken: | 02.20.2025 |
| Date Posted: | 02.20.2025 17:30 |
| Story ID: | 491169 |
| Location: | FORT JOHNSON, LOUISIANA, US |
| Web Views: | 122 |
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