Members of Team Tyndall recently marked a new rebuild milestone with the opening of the Airmen Integrated Resilience Operations Center.

Several of the installation’s helping agencies, including the Special Victims Council, the Integrated Primary Prevention Workforce and the Sexual Assault and Prevention offices, have taken ownership of the facility.

The base founded the idea of co-locating these specific agencies to inspire interagency communication and combat intra- and interpersonal violence issues.

“Our job is to utilize tools that will help analyze and identify Team Tyndall’s risk factors and strengths,” said Rebecca Gectrich, Integrated Resilience Office integrated prevention chief. “Our most recent survey showed that our personnel feel a real sense of connectedness. People feel like they have a community here.”

Gectrich also mentioned those surveys indicated increased stress levels across the installation.

“Knowing this, our office reflects on what we can do as a community action team to help alleviate that stress or how we can better work with and support the other helping agencies to reduce risk factors,” she said.

Gectrich is confident the new facility will aid in these efforts as it was designed to meet the needs of the Tyndall community. The 8,137-square-foot facility will include training, wellness and client care rooms, as well as a discrete client entrance to ensure comfortability.

“The hope is that with the discrete entrance, people will feel more comfortable making a sexual assault report because there [will be] more anonymity,” explained Gectrich.

Completion of this facility falls in line with both Tyndall and the Department of the Air Force’s commitment to eliminate incidents of sexual assault through awareness and prevention training, education, victim advocacy, response, reporting and accountability.

“Maintaining readiness as an Air Force combat wing includes better support facilities for our Airmen,” said U.S. Air Force Col. George Watkins, 325th FW commander. “The opening of the Airmen Integrated Resilience Operations Center will ensure that these agencies are able to provide increased support, awareness and improved overall readiness, all in one centralized location.”