Overcoming isolation: Loneliness is rampant. A simple call, or hug, may be a cure Lindsey Tanner and Martha Irvine Associated Press April 17, 2021 FacebookTwitterEmail 1of9 Janine Blezien sits with her dogs, Kasey and Gordy. Blezien, who is single, said talking with retiree Dianne Green, through the Rush University Medical Center’s “friendly caller” program, also helped her feel less isolated last year. “We just clicked,” she said. Show MoreShow Less 2of9 Janine Blezien (left) and Dianne Green walk arm-in-arm at Rush University Medical Center in Chicago during their first in-person meeting. Blezien, a nurse at Rush, and Green, a retiree, met by phone the previous year through the hospital’s “friendly caller” program for which Blezien is a volunteer. They were able to get together after being vaccinated against COVID-19, and they plan to go out to a restaurant and shop together, once they both feel safe doing so. Show MoreShow Less