Vancouver Canucks players and some fans are set to get enhanced medical care from Vancouver-based WELL Health Technologies Corp. (TSX:WELL), the team and the omni-channel, digital-health company announced today.
WELL is now an integrated part of the Canucks' medical team, providing diagnostic imaging, sports cardiology and pain management services designed to improve players' overall heath.
It is also officially the National Hockey League team's official medical services provider, and it intends to provide care for some fans as well.
"WELL will be extending its health optimization efforts to WELL Health President's Club, premium suite, and club seat members, providing Canucks premium members with exclusive healthcare offers," WELL said today in a news release.
"Premium Canucks seat holders will soon gain access to certain premium healthcare services including WELL Longevity+, WELL's proactive health management services, which is at the forefront of longevity medicine, utilizing state-of-the-art technologies and precision diagnostic testing to proactively identify potential conditions such as cancer, heart disease, and neurodegenerative diseases."
WELL Health President's Club is the Canucks' new premium restaurant-style club, situated between the home and away locker rooms, with direct access to plush stadium seating behind the benches, according to a Canucks tweet in October. The Canucks' "premium suites" are the private booths that ring Rogers Arena. The Canucks have a range of offers for fans who want to pay to be part of what the team calls premium clubs. It is fans in those categories, and not others, who would be eligible for WELL's services.
The healthcare WELL provides fans "will focus on proactive health management, giving fans access to sophisticated screenings and the information they need to maintain and improve their health," WELL said in its release. "By prioritizing preventive care, WELL aims to enhance the long-term well-being and quality of life for fans, ensuring they have the resources to stay healthy and informed."
Another curious part of the partnership is that WELL's healthcare providers will be able to see free games and concerts at Rogers Arena.
No one from the Canucks nor WELL was immediately available to discuss the partnership.
One of WELL's largest investors, if not its biggest shareholder, is Hong Kong tycoon Li Ka-shing, who is likely best known to many Vancouverites as the man whose company bought the city's former Expo 86 site in 1988 for $320 million, spread over 15 years.
BIV reported in 2019 that Ka-shing had an almost 11-per-cent stake in WELL Health, while his venture capital firm Horizon Ventures owned a 7% stake. Ka-shing then added to that stake in September 2020, and then again in May 2022.
WELL's founder and CEO, Hamed Shahbazi, is likely best known for founding Tio Networks Corp. before selling it to PayPal Holdings Inc. for $304 million in 2017.
