Humana and Veterans Service Organization Partners Support Theater-based Project with Focus on Veteran Mental Health

“The primary enemy most veterans face after service is not war-related trauma, but loneliness,” according to a study from Yale and the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs.

Humana, in collaboration with partners from Theater of War Productions, Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW), Disabled American Veterans (DAV) and Reveille Grounds, co-presented a virtual theater event on June 12 designed to facilitate open discussion about the loneliness epidemic and impact of visible and invisible wounds war veterans may experience.

The live dramatic reading of Sophocles’ Ajax, a play about the suicide of a respected warrior, led to a powerful guided audience discussion about loneliness, mental health, combat stress, moral injury and the impact of military service on individuals, families and communities.

“Theater of War creates a space for veterans, their peers, their families and allies to connect on a level that helps lift people out of isolation and into community through the power of shared experiences,” said Stephanie Muckey, Humana’s Veteran Population Health Lead. “It reminds us that we’re not alone and provides hope, which has the power of changing the trajectory of someone’s story.”

The production of Ajax featured readings from Emmy Award-winning actor Keith David and Emmy Award-nominated actress Taylor Schilling alongside veterans and leaders from VFW and DAV. The follow-on discussion included hundreds of veterans and community members across the country who tuned in for the Zoom-based discussion.

“The readings inspire and catalyze the discussions that follow them by generating a common vocabulary for discussing difficult subjects and giving the audience permission to share their perspectives and stories,” said Bryan Doerries, Theater of War Productions Artistic Director, who directed and facilitated the event. “Ancient plays like Sophocles’ Ajax demand the actors' full commitment. At our events, the actors’ emotionally charged performances move back the walls of the room and, in effect, say to the audience, ‘We've already gone to these extreme places and spoken these unspeakable things. Whatever you have to share, it is permitted here. This space can hold it. You can name it, and we can face it together as a community.'”

Schilling, best known for her leading role in the television series Orange is the New Black, spoke about why she participated in this event during an interview with WMAR-TV in Baltimore.

“It’s mind blowing that human beings have been grappling with this same pain for thousands of years,” Schilling said. “We are not alone in what we are experiencing. I think that is … the deepest message of Theater of War.”

This production is one of many events Humana supported during Global Loneliness Awareness Week as part of Far from Alone, a public health awareness campaign sponsored by Humana and the Humana Foundation that brings together partners committed to addressing loneliness and social isolation.

Suicide risk among veterans and military members is a national crisis directly related to loneliness and social isolation, with recent reports indicating about 17 veterans in the U.S. die by suicide each day.

“In the military affiliated community, all of us have been touched by suicide, including me as a Marine Corps spouse and caregiver,” Muckey said. “I’m proud that at Humana we strive to help normalize issues of loneliness and social isolation, help raise awareness about its negative health consequences, and leverage the collective strengths of likeminded organizations and resources to help veterans increase their social connectedness and help prevent veteran suicide. I encourage everyone to reach out to a veteran in your life, with a note, text or call, to show you care, be curious about how they're doing, and show them you're committed to being there for them.”