HAWC director Craft Published Jan. 16, 2010 By Nick Stubbs 6th Air Mobility Wing Public Affairs MACDILL AIR FORCE BASE, Fla. -- News that the MacDill Health and Wellness Center is the top HAWC in Air Mobility Command for 2009 was great enough, but it didn't stop there. Joan Craft, director of the HAWC, was singled out for her detailed analysis of 10 years of tobacco cessation programs run by the center, the work selected as the winner of the Health and Lifestyle category in an annual recognition program administered across the DoD by TriCare. She will receive her award at a conference in Washington, D.C. at the end of the month. "I was totally overwhelmed when I got the email (announcing the selection)," said Ms. Craft. The retrospective analysis of tobacco cessation efforts tracked programs and tactics, along with success rates over a 10-year period. Meticulous recording of data, and a packrat mentality that kept the paperwork and computer files around "all that time," permitted the analysis work. "We had all this data and I decided to do something with it and see if it had value," said Ms. Craft. The committee that evaluated the work confirmed that it did. From community outreach and partnerships, effectiveness and participation in programs as it relates to the time of day classes are held, to class location and other minutia, the data proves to be a wealth of information about what works and what doesn't. "The idea was to determine what makes a successful program - all the things that factor in," Ms. Craft said. The HAWC's programs a success rate that serves as a good model. While MacDill cannot boast the lowest level of smokers and tobacco users, it is below the Air Mobility Command and Air Force average, a testament to programs like Smoke Signals, a program used effectively by the HAWC. "It was outstanding news," said Lt. Col. Paul Gourley, 6th Aerospace Medicine Squadron commander, adding that the "recognition of Joan for her work" is doubly sweet coming on the heels of the AMC HAWC of the year title.