Strengthening emergency care in rural communities.

Imagine waking up in the middle of the night with a sick child or a health concern that can't wait until morning, only to find your local emergency department isn't open and the nearest full-service hospital is several hours away.

Virtual emergency care offers another way forward. By connecting Canadian licensed emergency physicians with local clinical teams, patients can receive timely emergency care in their own communities, surrounded by the people, places and support systems they know best.

The rural health care challenge.

In many rural communities, the local hospital is more than a place to receive care. It's a lifeline. Yet across Canada, rural and remote regions are facing growing challenges in maintaining emergency services due to workforce instability. While nearly one in five Canadians lives in these communities, only 7% of physicians practise there. As a result, many emergency departments have experienced reduced hours, temporary closures, or permanent closures, making it harder for Canadians to access care when they need it most.

Communities need sustainable solutions that help maintain local emergency services while supporting the clinicians who care for them.

Explore Virtual Emergency Care

A Canadian rural community’s story.

An innovative partnership is making a difference for patients, clinicians, and the community. See how.

On Grand Manan Island, in New Brunswick, surrounded by the Bay of Fundy, residents have built their lives in one of Canada's most remarkable communities.

But when illness or injury strikes after hours, accessing emergency care can be challenging. For many residents, reaching a full-service hospital means a two-hour ferry ride followed by an additional one-hour drive to Saint John, or air transport in critical situations.

Today, a new model of care is helping ensure that geography doesn't stand in the way of access. Through a partnership between Horizon Health Network and Teladoc Health Canada, virtual emergency physicians work alongside local nurses to provide timely emergency care, helping residents receive treatment closer to home.

Care that feels local, because it is.

"This pilot has shown us that virtual care, when used thoughtfully and as a complement to in-person coverage, can make a real difference in the lives of patients and the health care teams who serve them. "

Greg Doiron, Vice President, Clinical Operations for Horizon Health Network

Making a measurable difference for patients and local clinical teams.

By working together, virtual emergency physicians and local nurses are helping more residents receive timely emergency care while strengthening capacity within the community.

Patient Impact

97%
patient satisfaction
96%
of cases were resolved without requiring a transfer
Fewer
patients leaving without being seen

Local Clinician Impact

100%
staff satisfaction with virtual physicians
Improved
work-life balance among local physicians
Improved
care quality, workflow efficiency and workplace morale

That's the appeal to me to emergency medicine. You really see yourself as serving the community and if [your child] is croupy at 2 o'clock in the morning, it's somewhere you can always go and you're always welcome.

Dr. Kelly Williams

Emergency Physician

Teladoc Health Canada

The doctor was able to finally figure out what was wrong with my ear and referred me to an ENT. What the doctor on Teladoc found was the actual diagnosis that has been missed.

Allison Hayman

Patient

Grand Manan Hospital

Knowing that you can have an emerg physician beam into the treatment room is quite phenomenal.

Sheridan Linton

Facility Manager

Horizon Health Network

What virtual care means to the community.

For residents, access to virtual emergency physicians means more than a new way to receive care. It means receiving timely treatment close to home, avoiding an off-island transfer, and having greater confidence that emergency support is available when it is needed.

“I think one of the reasons why Teledoc is working is because it's not cutting the service here. We still have our three doctors. We still have the nurse practitioner. We have an extra level of service, though, with Teladoc for when the [primary care] doctor isn't in the hospital. We have that access to emergency care that wasn't there prior to Teladoc being here on the island.”

Bonnie Morse, Mayor of Grand Manan

How virtual emergency care works:

The patient arrives at Grand Manan Hospital and is met by the on-site care team, then seen virtually by a provincially licenced physician.

The virtual doctor works collaboratively with the nurse using technology that mirrors an in-person experience.

Together, they use connected tools, including a digital stethoscope, an exam camera and an otoscope, to assess the patient and create a treatment plan, which may include tests, referrals, and prescriptions.

Following the visit, a nurse will reach out if any follow-up is needed.

Virtual care works because of the integrated, collaborative approach. Nurses and on-site staff in Grand Manan bring their knowledge of the patient and the community while Teladoc Health Canada's emergency physicians bring specialist expertise from wherever they are located in Canada. Together, they give residents the care they need without leaving home.

See the community impact

A blueprint for rural Canada.

Communities across Canada are facing many of the same challenges: health human resource shortages, growing demand for care, and the need to maintain services locally.

The experience in Grand Manan demonstrates that rural communities don't have to choose between innovation and local care. When virtual emergency physicians are integrated into existing local care teams, communities expand access to care, support local clinicians, and maintain vital emergency services.

Most importantly, it shows that innovative healthcare doesn't have to come at the expense of local care. It can strengthen it.

Explore our Quintuple Aim paper

Keeping care close to home, together.

Learn how innovative care models strengthen rural health systems.

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Strengthening emergency care in rural communities.

The rural health care challenge.

A Canadian rural community’s story.

Care that feels local, because it is.

Making a measurable difference for patients and local clinical teams.

Patient Impact

Local Clinician Impact

What virtual care means to the community.

How virtual emergency care works:

A blueprint for rural Canada.

Keeping care close to home, together.