Humana Foundation Supports Initiative to End Veteran Suicide

The Humana Foundation is supporting a new initiative that aims to reduce veteran suicide and promote mental healthcare.

USAA and the USAA Foundation established the Face the Fight initiative to raise awareness of veteran suicide prevention. The Humana Foundation and Reach Resilience—an Endeavors Foundation that supports children, families, migrants, and veterans—are founding partners of the initiative.

The Humana Foundation is Humana’s philanthropic arm that focuses on eliminating healthcare barriers in underserved communities and addressing health inequities.

The organizations’ goals are to minimize the stigma around seeking mental healthcare and boost the conversation around stopping veteran suicide, complementing efforts from the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) and the Department of Defense (DoD).

More than 120,000 veterans have died by suicide since 2001, with the veteran suicide rate at 1.5 times the general population’s rate, the press release said. The coalition of supporters hopes to cut the suicide rate in half by 2030.

“Humana is committed to ensuring all veterans and military members have access to the care they need, especially those in underserved communities where advances in health equity are greatly needed,” Bruce D. Broussard, president and chief executive officer of Humana, said in the press release.

“The launch of Face the Fight is an important milestone in the fight against veteran suicide and will help significantly ease the challenges experienced by veterans and their families. Together, with the Humana Foundation, USAA, Reach Resilience, and others, we join this fight to help remove systemic barriers and raise awareness of the mental health challenges faced by our veteran community who have dedicated their lives to serving our country.”

The partners involved in the Face the Fight initiative have provided philanthropic grants to nonprofit organizations that promote veteran suicide prevention.

USAA and the USAA Foundation seeded a philanthropic fund with $10 million in grants. USAA has been working with experts over the last year, including RAND Corporation, VA, and DoD, to identify strategies to end veteran suicide.

 The Humana Foundation granted $6 million over three years, while Reach Resilience granted $25 million over five years.

This initial funding will support nonprofit organizations as they expand suicide prevention and training programs, establish clinical fellowships to strengthen the future clinician workforce, and provide resources to veteran service organizations and legal groups that work with veterans.

“Our service members stand tall in the noble calling to serve others, and we need to stand with them for challenges they may face, including mental health and suicide,” said Wayne Peacock, president and chief executive officer of USAA. “Through focused funding and work with experts, we believe Face the Fight will make a difference in raising awareness for veteran suicide prevention.”