About USACHPPM
The U.S. Army Center for Health Promotion and Preventive Medicine (USACHPPM) lineage can
be traced back over 50 years to the Army Industrial Hygiene Laboratory. That organization
was established at the beginning of World War II and was under the direct jurisdiction of
The Army Surgeon General. It was originally located at the Johns Hopkins School of Hygiene
and Public Health, with a staff of three and an annual budget not to exceed three thousand
dollars. Its mission was to conduct occupational health surveys of Army-operated
industrial plants, arsenals, and depots. These surveys were aimed at identifying and
eliminating occupational health hazards within the Department of Defense's industrial
production base and proved to be of great benefit to the nation's war effort.
It was known both nationally and internationally as the U.S. Army Environmental Hygiene
Agency or USAEHA. Its mission was expanded to support the worldwide preventive medicine
programs of the Army, DOD, and other Federal agencies through consultations and supportive
services, investigations, and training.
In 1994, it was redesignated the USACHPPM. Its mission is to provide worldwide
technical support for implementing preventive medicine, public health, and health
promotion/wellness services into all aspects of America's Army and the Army Community
anticipating and rapidly responding to operational needs and adaptable to a changing world
environment.
The
USACHPPM headquarters is located at the Edgewood Area of Aberdeen Proving Ground, MD. Five
subordinate commands are located at Fort George G. Meade, MD; Fort McPherson, GA; Fort
Lewis, WA; Landstuhl, Germany; and Camp Zama, Japan.
The 1056 person USACHPPM team is a linchpin of medical support to combat forces and of the
military managed-care system. It provides worldwide scientific expertise and
services in clinical and field preventive medicine, environmental and occupational health,
health promotion and wellness, epidemiology and disease surveillance, toxicology, and
related laboratory sciences. It supports readiness by keeping soldiers fit to fight,
while also promoting wellness among their families and the Federal civilian
workforce. Professional disciplines represented include chemists, physicists,
engineers, physicians, optometrists, epidemiologists, audiologists, nurses, industrial
hygienists, toxicologists, entomologists, and many others as well as sub-specialties
within these professions.
The organization's quest has always been one of excellence and continuous quality
improvement; and today, its vision to be the world-class Center for Health Promotion and
Preventive Medicine is clearer than ever. To achieve that end, it holds ever fast to its
values which are steeped in its rich heritage:
- Customer
satisfaction is its focus.
- Its
people are its most valued resource.
- Continuous
improvement is its pathway.
It
is an organization fiercely proud of its history, yet equally excited about the future. It
is destined to continue its development as a world-class organization with expanded
services to the Army, DOD, other Federal agencies, the nation and the world community.