Addressing Loneliness

Debbie Lessenberry:

Honestly, I think I'll grieve for Lawrence forever. We were that close. Our 46th anniversary would have been on July the 3rd. And in those almost 46 years, we never had an argument. So, to say I miss him is putting it very mildly. You can only sit alone in your house for so long. You have to have somebody that you can talk to, somebody you can be friends with, somebody you can reach out to if you need to and say, “Hey, you got a minute?”

Robin Caruso:

In 2017, I was asked to create a program that addresses loneliness and social isolation. The Member Connect program is where we reach out to our healthcare plan members to not only connect with them but to explore their social support systems. Then we also match them with their very own phone pal. And the phone pals are all of the Elevance Health associates that say, “Hey, I want to volunteer.”

Melody Smith:

There are many different social drivers of health that impact our members. And when you look at the impact of loneliness, it has more of an impact on your overall health than if you're a smoker. And so, by doing something as simple as picking up the phone to talk to one of our Medicare members, you're having a real, lasting impact on not only their mental health but also their physical health as well.

Debbie Lessenberry:

When I started Member Connect, I was desperately seeking someone just to talk to. So, for that brief time that we talk, it's like I'm in a new world.

Melody Smith:

My first conversation with Debbie, I think her granddaughter had walked into the room. She said my name, and I think her granddaughter asked, “Who's Melody?” And she said, “She's my phone pal from my insurance company.” And she seemed like very proud of the fact that, like, she had someone calling her from her insurance company.

Debbie Lessenberry:

It is definitely the highlight of my week because I know I'm going to get to talk to somebody. Having Melody in my life, I can't describe it. It's just a deep, and it is a deep, friendship.

Melody Smith:

Something else happens when you manage wellness instead of sickness. I believe that the Elevance Health approach to managing whole health, as opposed to just managing illness, is this idea that if you manage wellness before you manage sickness, you're going to have a much bigger impact on all of the communities and the people that we serve.

Debbie Lessenberry:

But this program, it's a blessing. It's mind-blowing. It's just wow. It's like, wow, I can't believe this is part of my insurance.