In the vast expanses of rural Utah, a 300-mile round trip for medical treatment isn’t just inconvenient—it can be an insurmountable barrier to cancer care.
For cancer patients in the Uintah Basin who need treatments multiple times per week, innovative telehealth technology is changing that story.
Why it matters: “If it wasn’t for our cancer care and infusions, our patients would be traveling a minimum of about 300 miles round trip, many of them three days a week,” explains Bobby Richardson, Vice President of Patient Services at Uintah Basin Medical Center.
The big picture: Patients at Uintah Basin’s Cancer Care and Infusion Center receive the same quality of care they would at larger facilities in urban centers.
“They’re seeing the same physicians that they would see at Intermountain facilities. They’re getting the same level of care they would get at urban facilities,” Richardson says. “The only difference is they get to stay home and be with their families.”
Between the lines: For Richardson and his team, this isn’t just about convenience—it’s personal.
“We’re not just treating patients. We’re treating family, friends, coworkers. People in our community that we know and interact with in every area of our lives,” Richardson explains. “These are not just patients for us. These are our people.”
Looking ahead: Richardson envisions recruiting a dedicated hematology-oncology physician for the basin as patient needs grow, further expanding diagnostic capabilities so patients can receive comprehensive cancer care without leaving home.
“Telehealth is changing the healthcare environment, the landscape that we see,” Richardson says. “We’re able to provide care that we’ve never been able to provide in rural communities.”
The bottom line: “It’s not just a job. It’s a calling,” Richardson says about the work his team does. “I want to see my friends and family get the level of care that they need to get, that they deserve to get. And so that’s what keeps us coming in and trying to improve programs like our tele-oncology program every day.”