Navy Safe Harbor Surveys Measure Wounded Warrior, Family Satisfaction

WASHINGTON (NNS) -- Beginning the week of Jan. 3, Navy Safe Harbor is administering its annual Enrollee Survey and Caregiver Survey to evaluate those groups' satisfaction with the program and determine ways to improve wounded warrior support services.

"As we kick off 2012, I can't think of a more appropriate time to check the pulse of our seriously wounded, ill, and injured Sailors and Coast Guardsmen, as well as their families," said Capt. Bernie Carter, director of Navy Safe Harbor. "We always are eager to enhance our program, and their responses to the survey will inform our approach to caring for wounded warriors in the New Year and beyond."

Navy Safe Harbor is the Navy and Coast Guard's wounded warrior support program. It provides a lifetime of individually tailored assistance to promote the recovery, rehabilitation, and reintegration of seriously wounded, ill, and injured service members.

The Enrollee Survey captures the experiences and perceptions of enrolled Sailors and Coast Guardsmen during the past calendar year, while the Caregiver Survey assesses the opinions and needs of the caregivers who support them. The surveys are distributed to more than 750 service members and their families.

The surveys include a variety of questions, including how frequently respondents communicate with Navy Safe Harbor Non-medical Care Managers and whether those staff members were responsive and reliable. The survey also asks respondents what they like best about Navy Safe Harbor, what they'd like to change about the program, and whether they would recommend it to others.

In the past, survey results have made significant impacts on the program and the services it provides. For example, feedback received from the 2010 surveys led to the creation of the 2011 Wounded Warrior Family Symposium, which took place last September. The event convened wounded warriors and caregivers with varied backgrounds, who shared their stories and recommendations with Navy Safe Harbor personnel.

Symposium panelist - and the wife of a wounded warrior -Stephnie Rose said about the event: "It is comforting to see Navy Safe Harbor hosting this event. It's great to know the program cares so much about the families and making progress on behalf of wounded warriors."

The surveys are being conducted by the Navy Personnel Research, Studies, and Technology division of the Bureau of Naval Personnel. They are being administered during the course of eight weeks, and results will be publicly released in approximately six months.