Lethbridge County, Rocket Doctor pen deal for virtual health care

Lethbridge County has secured expanded access to primary and urgent health care for its residents. (AP Photo/Damian Dovarganes)

Lethbridge County has secured expanded access to primary and urgent health care for its residents.

The county in southern Alberta has partnered with Rocket Doctor AI to provide access to licensed local physicians virtually and with no fee.

The announcement was made Tuesday.

Rocket Doctor is tailored to rural residents and supports a wide range of needs, including chronic condition management, mental-health services and urgent care.

County residents can log into the website to connect with a physician.

This circumvents waiting in an emergency room for an in-person visit.

“This was just another opportunity for us to provide an option for our residents to access health care,” Tory Campbell, Lethbridge County reeve, told media Tuesday.

“We went to staff and gave them the marching orders to go out and bring council some options.

“In their eyes and our eyes, this was one of the best options for our unique situation, having no fees and just how it fit with southern Alberta and Lethbridge County.”

Dr. Bill Cherniak, Rocket Doctor CEO, said in a news release issued Tuesday, “Access to health care should not depend on postal code.”

“We are delivering a localized, high-trust digital health-care solution designed specifically for rural Albertans, making it easier for families to see a doctor, renew prescriptions, and manage their health without unnecessary travel or wait times,” Cherniak said.

Lethbridge County’s deal with Rocket Doctor launches immediately and is set to renew at two-year intervals.

Lethbridge County is the second municipality in Canada to partner with Rocket Doctor.

The first is Bruderheim, a town northeast of Edmonton.

Bruderheim and Rocket Doctor announced and launched that partnership this past September, and it is set to renew this coming July.

“Access to high-quality health care covered by our Alberta Health is essential, especially in smaller municipalities like ours,” Phyllis Forsyth, Bruderheim’s chief administrative officer, said in September in a news release.