Within the realm of Social Determinants of Health, loneliness and isolation has been shown to have a profound impact on health outcomes for people of all ages. But this is especially true for older Americans, where disconnection from the workforce, community groups, and friends and family are made worse by barriers in mobility and digital literacy. Andrew Parker, founder and CEO of Papa, is on a mission to solve loneliness through companionship. Andrew has built a vast network of Papa Pals across the USA, providing emotional and social support to millions of vulnerable Americans. Health Plans are becoming increasingly aware of this problem, and investors have noticed. Papa closed their Series C round for $60M in April 2021, brining their total funding to $91M. John and the Parker Family go way back and this pod is as much a conversation between old friends as it is a lens into one of the fastest growing SDOH companies in the world. Enjoy!