Lethbridge conference aiming for solutions in rural healthcare

The title sponsor for the event is Teladoc, which was showing off its virtual healthcare machine, shown in the photo at the top of this article.

Teladoc Managing Director Joby McKenzie explains that the machine can be placed in a hospital, and a physician on the other end can provide a wide range of healthcare services. This allows the doctor to have “eyes and ears” on patients, as if they were there in person.

“We have peripherals, so audiscopes and stethoscopes, so that a doctor can examine a patient, supported by the in-person nurse, and do, not the suturing, not the stitches – but certainly everything else in terms of diagnosis, treatment, followup and discharge,” says McKenzie.

She adds, “We’re actually able to provide care and resolve 97 per cent of health issues in an emergency department, so that means everything from the most acute to, more like primary care needs.”

McKenzie believes that this technology could go a long way in resolving long-standing issues of emergency department staffing in places like southern Alberta.

Communities such as Milk River, Pincher Creek, Bow Island and Fort Macleod have had to periodically close their emergency rooms due to a lack of physician coverage.

She says that, in 2024, Teladoc provided “thousands and thousands” of emergency department hours that kept those facilities open when they would have otherwise been forced to close.

The company does not currently have any of their virtual healthcare machines in Alberta, but McKenzie tells LNN that they are working with the Government of Alberta to potentially introduce them in the near future.

Josh Nash, STARS Air Ambulance’s provincial director for Alberta, was not only presenting at the conference, but was also there to learn.

He says virtual care has become an integral part of their operations, and he wanted to see what the latest advancements in the space are.

STARS introduced video conferencing to its medical rescue program in 2023. Since then, they have utilized over 137 hours of virtual clinical time on 545 cases.

“It really gives our physicians the opportunity, with their peers, to speak through a video conferencing application, for better treatment diagnostics, better treatment as a whole,” says Nash. “It also allows for more appropriate use of resources, as well, whether they’re going to go by ground or fixed wing or by helicopter.”

The conference featured a wide range of presenters, including:

Joby McKenzie, Managing Director, Teladoc Health Canada
Azi Boloorchi Drake, VP of Health System Partnerships & R&D, Teladoc Health Canada
Nik Nanos, Chief Data Scientist, Nanos Research
Mayor Blaine Hyggen, City of Lethbridge
Dr. Richard Buck, Associate Dean, Southern Alberta Medical Program
Dr. Sayeh Zielke, Physician Lead, AHS South Zone Cardiac Services
Dr. Waller, Medical Director, Chinook Primary Care
Derrick Fox, CEO, Blood Tribe Department of Health
Lori Sanford, Director, Home Care, Lethbridge Family Services
Josh Nash, Provincial Director, STARS

Lethbridge Mayor Blaine Hyggen says he was excited to be able to have the city host this conference.

The community has struggled with the attraction and retention of doctors. He says that anything more we can learn or do is going to help in the long run.

by David Opinko

Lethbridge conference aiming for solutions in rural healthcare

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