CONTACT: Colorado National Guard Public Affairs, 720-250-1053, ng.co.coarng.list.miltarysupport@army.mil
CENTENNIAL, Colo. – The Colorado National Guard has the first full-time Prevention Workforce and Joint Resiliency Directorate (J9), under the direction of the National Defense Authorization Act 2022 and the Independent Review Commission.
The CONG received funding to hire seven new positions to establish Colorado’s Prevention Workforce and two new positions to expand sexual assault prevention and response.
U.S. President Joe Biden ordered the Secretary of Defense to establish an Independent Review Commission to end sexual assault in the military following the tragic events surrounding the loss of U.S. Army Spc. Vanessa Guillen at Fort Hood, Texas, in April 2020.
U.S. Air Force Col. Carrie Worrell was the first director of the CONG J9, which consolidated and brought together 52 Colorado Air and Army National Guard positions under one umbrella in one central location.
The consolidation affords a space for collaboration amongst support resources that provide service members and their families access to prevention, intervention, response, and readiness services 24/7. There is also a single phone number those members seeking help can call rather than searching for each resource separately.
The Joint Resiliency (J9) Helpline is: 1-866-333-8844.
“I think that the J9 helps our Citizen Airmen and Soldiers become a more resilient force, not only within the Colorado National Guard but also in their communities,” Worrell said. “It’s been really special watching this program develop.”
The collaborative effort is known as the Guard Resiliency Integration Team. Through GRIT, the J9 provides CONG members and their families the tools to persevere and thrive in the face of adversity on and off the battle space.
In addition to marketing the program to Guard members and their families, the J9 is also working with the state on several legislative initiatives and also with the Behavioral Health Administration on how they can better partner with them.
Although the IRC directed and funded the implementation of this program, how it was implemented was left up to each state. Colorado is one of only a few states that chose to set up a J9 directorate.