Florence Health and Papa Announce Partnership to Counteract Loneliness and Invest in Social Support for Medicare Beneficiaries

Florence's Medicare beneficiaries will now have fully covered access to Papa Pals to achieve whole life health, not just physical health; the program will begin in California's north state in May, and will expand to additional Florence-served regions nationally starting in Summer 2022

MIAMI, May 9, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Papa, a curated platform of companionship and support for older adults and families, and Florence Health, an elite primary care provider currently serving Medicare patients exclusively, announced a partnership to address the social needs of Florence's patients. The collaboration offers a new approach to patient engagement: companion care. The services will be available to all Florence Health primary care patients, starting May 2, 2022 for patients in Butte County, CA and expanding to additional Florence-served communities regionally and nationally in Summer 2022.

This partnership demonstrates Florence's commitment to "Whole Care," which helps people achieve whole life health – not just physical health – by addressing the social factors which drive up to eighty percent of health outcomes. Social determinants of health are the circumstances in which people are born, grow, live, learn, work, and age, all of which directly affect physical and mental health.

Papa's on-demand workforce of compassionate Papa Pals will address specific needs for Florence patients, using the power of connectedness to improve health and close gaps in care. Papa Pals are trained companions who provide human help for critical day-to-day tasks, meal preparation, technology troubleshooting, and social connection. By serving as eyes and ears in the home, Papa is able to understand patient needs and to connect patients accordingly to Florence or other vital community resources.

"Older adults have unique needs and deserve quality, compassionate, human care," says Andrew Parker, Papa founder and CEO. "Through our partnership with Florence, our Papa Pals can understand challenges firsthand and help address the far-too-common barriers to health and vitality. Florence is a leader in providing whole person care, and we're proud to join them in a shared mission to improve health outcomes and overall well-being for their patients."

"People know that Florence's motto is two simple words: Patient First – above anything else.  We of course are a medical provider first and foremost, but our patients deserve more than medical support," says Jake Halpert, founder and CEO of Florence Health. "If we can improve their lives and well-being through non-medical help as well – for everything from grocery shopping, to errands around the house, to even just playing cards or watching a movie together – frankly, they and their families deserve that, ten times over.  We will invest every dollar of our profits in these and other services on their behalf."

Florence Health is one of the highest-satisfaction and fastest-growing senior care providers in the country, and is the first Direct Contracting Entity client for Papa. As the shift to value-based and whole health-focused care continues, Papa is a leading social health partner to help close care gaps and keep patients healthy.

About Papa

Papa is a new kind of care, built on human connection. Across the country, health plans and employers look to Papa to provide vital social support by pairing older adults and families with Papa Pals, trained and vetted companions, who provide a helping hand and an open ear, resulting in less loneliness and better health. Founded in 2017 and headquartered in Miami, Papa is backed by Canaan, Tiger Global Management, Comcast Ventures, SoftBank Vision Fund 2, TCG, Initialized Capital, and Seven Seven Six, among other revered institutional and individual investors. We envision a world where no one has to go it alone. Learn more at papa.com.

About Florence

Florence Health is a next-generation Primary Care Provider growing rapidly in towns and cities around the country. Named after the legendary nurse Florence Nightingale, Florence was founded in 2019 with a simple mission: to serve the patient, above all else. Florence is currently available to Medicare patients exclusively, and operates fully at risk for all of the patients' outcomes and spend, enabling the clinics to invest in the delivery of added benefits, services and staffing that are not possible in a fee-for-service environment. Florence's relentless focus on patient satisfaction and care results, through their platform of medical professionals, staff, technology, and premium modern clinic spaces designed from the ground up, has earned the company a reputation with its patients of going above and beyond on every facet of service delivery – from the front desk to the exam and follow-up experience, and everything in between.

Papa Media Contact:
Emily Hackel 
[email protected]

Florence Media Contact:
Jessica Johnson 
[email protected]

SOURCE Papa Inc.