Papa Continues Rapid Expansion to Counteract Loneliness as a Serious Public Health Risk

MIAMI, Oct. 29, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Papa, a curated platform of companionship and support for older adults, families, and other vulnerable populations, today announced it is now collaborating with more than 65 health plans serving members covered under Medicare Advantage, Medicaid, and employer health plans. Notably, this milestone was achieved in a short period as Papa launched its health plan service in 2018. Papa has added more than 25 health plans since its April Series C announcement alone, including national and regional health plans. This growth comes amid significant investment from health plans to address members' social determinants of health (SDoH), including social isolation and loneliness, that are shown to have a direct link to negative health outcomes.

Health plans are turning to Papa to impact their top three imperatives: reduced total cost of care, improved member engagement, and increased CMS Star Ratings. In one study conducted over a 6-month intervention period, 69% of members reported improvement in loneliness, many with significant improvement. Improvement persisted following introduction of virtual visits due to COVID-19.¹

Papa pairs its trained workforce, called "Papa Pals," with older adults and others who need support services to help with critical day-to-day tasks ranging from social activities, household help, and local transportation, to technology literacy and more. This support also lessens the stress on family caregivers. With more than 700 visits between Papa Pals and members happening each day, Papa is lessening the public health risk tied to loneliness.

"Papa is named after my grandfather, whose quality-of-life was markedly improved after my family hired a 'pal' to help with day-to-day support in his home," said Andrew Parker, Papa founder and CEO. "When I started Papa, I aimed to pair technology with humanity to assist our valuable older adult population. Our Papa Pals are the eyes and ears for our health plan partners, helping identify and advocate for member needs. The model has proven successful with older adults, and we're honored to continue that impact for so many more, especially vulnerable populations, as we rapidly expand."

Papa's rapid, coast-to-coast expansion includes the following health plans, among others:

• Anthem, Inc.: Anthem, an innovation leader dedicated to improving health, will be including up to 90 hours of In-Home Support Service, provided by Papa, in many of its affiliated individual and group Medicare Advantage plans as part of an expanded Essential Extras/Everyday Extras benefit package or as an embedded benefit. With In-Home Support Service, Papa Pals assist with light housekeeping, errands, tech support, and companionship – making daily tasks easier and reducing loneliness.
• Blue Cross & Blue Shield of Rhode Island: A nonprofit, community-focused health plan that serves Rhode Islanders across all 39 Rhode Island cities and towns, BCBSRI will offer Papa as a benefit to over 57,000 Medicare Advantage plan members, effective January 1, 2022.
• Braven Health℠: The first and only New Jersey Medicare company jointly owned by New Jersey's largest and one of the most trusted health insurers, Horizon Healthcare Services, Inc., and two of the state's leading health systems, Hackensack Meridian Health and RWJBarnabas Health, Braven Health will offer Papa as a benefit to its over 17,000 Medicare Advantage members in New Jersey, effective January 1, 2022.
• Medica: A nonprofit health plan headquartered in Minnesota and operating in Minnesota, Iowa, Kansas, Missouri, Nebraska, North Dakota, Oklahoma, South Dakota and Wisconsin, Medica will offer Papa as a benefit to its 10,000 DUAL Solution (Medicare-Medicaid dual eligible) plan members, effective January 1, 2022.
• Neighborhood Health Plan of Rhode Island (Neighborhood): A not-for-profit health maintenance organization founded in 1993 in partnership with Rhode Island's community health centers to provide high-quality, affordable health care for at-risk populations, Neighborhood serves one in five Rhode Islanders and will offer Papa as a benefit to its approximately 13,000 INTEGRITY (Medicare-Medicaid Plan) plan members, effective January 1, 2022.
• PacificSource Community Health Plans: An independent, not-for-profit community health plan serving Medicare members across the Northwest, including Oregon, Idaho, Montana and Washington, PacificSource Community Health Plans will offer Papa to PacificSource Medicare Special Needs Plan members, effective January 1, 2022.
• SummaCare: The health plan offering from Ohio-based SummaHealth, SummaCare offers Papa to its 23,000 Medicare Advantage members, effective January 1, 2021.

Papa is supporting this growth with key executive hires. Craig Ogg, Chief Technology Officer, has led tech and data teams at organizations, including Zip Recruiter, Stamps.com, and True Car. Liz DeMatteis joins as the Chief Marketing Officer from previous marketing leadership roles for healthcare companies, like Aetion and Ground Rounds. Priyanka Gupta, Head of People and Culture, has led high growth organizations like Amplitude and AbleTo. These executives join a diverse team of leaders at Papa whose experiences combine the best of health care, technology and customer experience.

About Papa
Papa and its Papa Pals platform provide "family on demand," by working with Medicare, Medicaid, and employer-sponsored health plans to provide a companionship and support benefit for older adults and families. Founded in 2017 and headquartered in Miami, Papa is backed by Tiger Global Management, Comcast Ventures, and Canaan, among other revered institutional and individual investors. For more information, visit papa.com.

Papa Media Contact:
Emily HackelVice President, Communications
ehackel@papa.com 

¹ Social connections with Papa pals and older adults improved loneliness scores over 6 months, Academy Health Annual Research Meeting 2021

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