Plan administrator Union Benefits adds four union groups and six new southwestern Ontario locals, providing access to medical cannabis as an insured benefit
TORONTO, Aug. 30, 2022 — Entourage Health Corp. (TSX-V:ENTG) (OTCQX:ETRGF) (FSE:4WE) (“Entourage” or the “Company”), a Canadian producer and distributor of award-winning cannabis products, is pleased to announce its medical subsidiary Starseed Medicinal (“Starseed”) has added four new union groups to its full-service, proprietary medical cannabis program, in partnership with leading benefits provider Union Benefits – the administrator of union group benefits to over 12,000 members.
The medical cannabis plan, which goes into effect September 1, 2022, provides eligible union members and their dependents access to practitioners specializing in prescribing medical cannabis as an insured benefit. Additionally, Starseed is a unique platform with no co-pay or out-of-pocket insurance costs and is currently recognized as one of the only medical cannabis programs in the world to offer access to direct billing.
“We congratulate and proudly welcome our four newest member unions and their locals to our full-service Starseed medical platform. Together, we are removing the barriers to access medical cannabis as an alternative therapy for members and benefits provider Union Benefits, looking to responsibly educate and provide treatment options to patients for a myriad of indications,” said George Scorsis, CEO and Executive Chair, Entourage. “Our simplified and personalized treatment plans are curated alongside our award-winning healthcare experts who carefully ensure patients have access to a portfolio of over 45 trusted medical cannabis products including, soft-gel capsules, oils, soft-chews, patches, compounds (balms), vapes, and dried flower. As a result of these widely accepted therapeutic alternatives, coupled with a seamless reimbursement process, we now have over 10 union groups, five insurance providers, and 24 clinics signed to our Starseed platform.”
“With this partnership we are providing our members with access to the most innovative medical cannabis products, treatments plans and trusted practitioners in the industry, representing a progressive step forward in our evolving service model for over 12,000 members and their dependents,” said Rob Andrews, CEO and President, Union Benefits. “Our goal as a third party administrator is to ensure our union families are provided with access to affordable, quality-driven benefit options to meet their health and wellness journeys. Removing barriers and ease of payment is an important factor for expanding coverage to new therapies and we’re proud to be offering this to our members.”
All eligible affiliate members can now immediately access Starseed’s medical cannabis program by registering as patients. The Starseed program is built around a system that brings together clinical practitioners who specialize in chronic pain management, opioid cessation, insomnia and mental health therapies. Its medical marketplace is built around a revolutionary Canadian virtual pharmacy system that takes online orders and has the ability to intuitively complete the claims management process seamlessly with insurance carriers. More recently, Starseed expanded access to same-day delivery with Pineapple Express, increased service offerings by partnering with HelloMD’s virtual telehealth network, and now provides tailored patient treatment plans, plus innovative new products hosted on a virtual education platform.
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About Entourage Health Corp.
Entourage Health Corp. is the publicly traded parent Company of Entourage Brands Corp. (formerly WeedMD RX Inc.) and CannTx Life Sciences Inc., licence holders producing and distributing cannabis products for both the medical and adult-use markets. The Company owns and operates a state-of-the-art hybrid greenhouse and processing facility located on 158-acres in Strathroy, ON; a fully licensed 26,000 sq. ft. Aylmer, ON processing facility, specializing in cannabis extraction; and a micropropagation, tissue culture and genetics centre-of-excellence in Guelph, Ontario. With its Starseed Medicinal medical-centric brand, Entourage has expanded its multi-channeled distribution strategy. Starseed’s industry-first, exclusive partnership with LiUNA, the largest construction union in Canada, along with employers and over 10 union groups complements Entourage’s direct sales to medical patients. Entourage’s elite adult-use product portfolio includes Color Cannabis, Saturday Cannabis and Royal City Cannabis Co.– sold across eight provincial distribution agencies. The Company also maintains strategic relationships in the seniors’ market and supply agreements with Shoppers Drug Mart. It is the exclusive Canadian producer and distributor of award-winning U.S.-based wellness brand Mary’s Medicinals sold in both medical and adult-use channels. Under a collaboration with The Boston Beer Company subsidiary, Entourage is also the exclusive distributor of cannabis-infused beverages ‘TeaPot’ in Canada, which launched in summer 2022, starting in select provinces.
