NAPANEE, Ontario, Oct. 30, 2018 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- VIVO Cannabis Inc. (TSX-V: VIVO, OTCQX: VVCIF) (“VIVO” or the “Company”) is pleased to announce that its wholly-owned subsidiary, Harvest Medicine Inc. (“Harvest Medicine” or “HMED”), one of Canada’s fastest growing specialty medical cannabis clinic networks, is launching a free telemedicine service for medical cannabis care and education via an app.

The service, known as HMED Connect, will allow patients from across Canada to access Harvest Medicine’s class leading education and patient-centric model at any time, from the comfort of their homes via mobile phone, tablet or computer.

“HMED has been recognized for its unique approach and dedication to providing exceptional care at its physical clinics and we are now bringing that model into the virtual telemedicine space,” stated Shekhar Parmar, Chief Executive Officer of HMED. “Our belief is that HMED Connect will transform the medical cannabis experience for patients and physicians and open the door to unique partnership opportunities with pharmacies, insurance companies, primary care physicians, and other healthcare organizations.”

HMED Connect is a custom built, secure, user-friendly, multi-media rich telemedicine platform that features seamless integration of educational videos and access to helpful patient resources.

The mobile or desk-top app facilitates virtual appointments for patients with intake staff, prescribing clinicians and cannabis educators, resulting in the full completion of the patient journey, including registration with Licensed Producers, and ongoing support.  HMED’s proprietary methodology, perfected over the course of over 45,000 patient visits, for assessing the patients’ needs and appropriately matching them with the ideal License Producer ensures that patients are not overwhelmed in the selection process and end up with the best suited provider.

“Not all telemedicine platforms are created equal. HMED Connect was developed to be the best in class, and as a direct result of feedback from our patients and an emerging trend in healthcare for convenient telemedicine solutions,” said Mr. Parmar. “We believe that this unique platform containing guided video content, educational resources, and much more, will allow us to scale our highly success model across the country and help more Canadians realize the benefits of medical cannabis.”

Visit www.hmed.ca/connect for more information and to download the App from the Apple iOS and Android Play stores.

About Harvest Medicine

Harvest Medicine (“HMED”, more information at www.hmed.ca) is an education focused, patient-centric, network of specialty medical cannabis clinics where patients receive best-in-class education, care, advice and follow-up support as they approach cannabinoid-based medicine.

Growing to 6 locations in 4 provinces, aided by the recent acquisition of Trauma Healing Centres, and amassing over 22,000 active patients in under 21 months, HMED is one of Canada’s most successful and fastest growing cannabis clinic networks. Earlier this year HMED was acquired by VIVO Cannabis Inc. (TSX:VIVO).  With the additional capital backing of VIVO, and the launch of a custom-built telemedicine platform, HMED is poised to aggressively expand their effective and highly scalable model across the country.

About VIVO Cannabis™

VIVO, based in Napanee, Ontario, is recognized for trusted, high-quality products and services. It holds production and sales licences from Health Canada and operates world-class indoor cultivation facilities with proprietary plant-growing technology. VIVO has a collection of premium brands targeting unique customer segments, including Beacon Medical™, FIRESIDE™, Canna Farms™ and Lumina™. In August 2018, VIVO acquired Canna Farms Limited, a premium cannabis company based in Hope, British Columbia. Canna Farms was B.C.’s first Licensed Producer and has several years of craft cultivation experience and expertise, as well as a significant patient base and positive cash flow. The Company is significantly expanding its production capacity and pursuing partnership and product development opportunities domestically, as well as in select international markets, including Germany and Australia. VIVO also operates Harvest Medicine, a patient-centric and highly scalable network of specialty medical cannabis clinics as well as a soon to be released free telemedicine app. VIVO has a healthy balance sheet and is well-positioned to accelerate the growth of our business, in Canada and internationally.

More Information

ON BEHALF OF THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS

Barry Fishman (CEO and Director)

Neither TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.

Disclaimer for Forward-Looking Information

This news release contains forward-looking statements, including statements regarding the successful launch of HMED Connect, the potential benefits to patients of using the service, and the potential benefit to HMED of launching this free service. The forward-looking statements in this release are based on certain assumptions and involve known and unknown risks and uncertainties and other factors that could cause actual events to differ materially from current assumptions and expectations, including that patients may not find the service helpful, HMED may not benefit from the provision of this free service, and regulations around medical cannabis education and use may change. These forward-looking statements should not be read as guarantees of future performance or results. Such statements involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that may cause actual results, performance or achievements to be materially different from those implied by such statements, including that there may be regulatory impediments to the success of HMED Connect; and that there may be operational and technical challenges in implementing HMED Connect. A more complete discussion of the risks and uncertainties facing the Company appears in the Company’s Annual Information Form for the year ended December 31, 2017 and other continuous disclosure filings, which are available on SEDAR at www.sedar.com. Readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements, which speak only as of the date of this news release. The Company disclaims any intention or obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements as a result of new information or future events, or for any other reason, other than as required by applicable securities laws.