Humana’s commitment to veterans

I have been reflecting this month on the important work our Humana teams are doing every day to support our nation’s veterans and their families. They have given so much for our country’s citizens, and we are committed to giving back to them in every way we can. Here are just a few recent examples of these impactful efforts:

• Addressing food insecurity and homelessness: Just this week at the 125th Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW) National Convention in Louisville, Kentucky, we announced that the 2024 Uniting to Combat Hunger Campaign raised more than 1 million meals to help fight food insecurity among veterans. This campaign is just one element of Humana 's longstanding relationship with the VFW and has provided more than 5.6 million meals since it began in 2018. We are taking this initiative further in 2025 by adding homelessness as a focus area in addition to food insecurity.
• Reducing veteran suicides: In June, we celebrated the one-year anniversary of the Face the Fight initiative to reduce veteran suicides. The Humana Foundation is a founding member of the Face the Fight coalition, which has now grown to more than 174 members, including Humana Inc. So far, the non-profit organizations that received the first round of grants from Face the Fight have already reported nearly 15,000 screenings for suicide risk, more than 5,000 suicide-specific interventions, and training for hundreds of mental health clinicians. The Face the Fight Progress Report outlines the progress made in the first year of this invaluable initiative.
• Increasing suicide prevention efforts: Humana is actively identifying and implementing ways to impact veteran suicide prevention efforts with our members, veterans and communities. We have added 988 to all member ID cards, and our veteran call center representatives received VA SAVE training to ensure they know how to support members in crisis. We launched LGBTQIA+ In Service & Beyond with PsychArmor and the Michigan Veterans Affairs Agency, aimed at fostering an environment of understanding, respect and support for LGBTQIA+ veteran communities.
• Raising awareness of free resources: In partnership with PsychArmor, Humana and multiple Veterans Service Organizations co-created 15 Things Veterans Service Officer Want You to Know. ?This free course teaches veterans and their families about the free assistance Veterans Service Officers provide as veterans navigate their benefits and file VA claims.
• Providing free health screenings: Our Humana Healthy Horizons team in Louisiana partnered with the Bastion Community of Resilience in New Orleans last month to host a Wellness Fest, which offered local veterans and community members health screenings and resources as well as free wellness sessions. Bastion is an intentional living community for injured veterans and their families.
• Matching veterans with chronic conditions with resources: Also in Louisiana, we recently announced a collaborative program to enhance the healthcare experience and improve health outcomes for our Medicare Advantage members who are veterans currently managing chronic conditions. Through this program, we are connecting these veterans to DUOS, a technology-enabled service provider, to assess their health-related needs and goals and then match them with the appropriate resources available through their VA benefits and or Medicare Advantage plan and the community.
• Training providers and staff how to engage with veterans: In Texas, health care providers and staff from Humana’s Primary Care Organization are learning to identify common barriers to accessing healthcare for veterans. In the coming months, 23 Conviva Care Centers and CenterWell Senior Primary Care centers throughout Texas will be certified as Veteran Ready Healthcare Organizations by PsychArmor’s military culture training experts. The certification process includes courses about military culture, how to communicate with veterans, suicide prevention, opioid use disorder and more. I think this is such an important step to ensuring our healthcare providers can better relate to patients and get them the care they need