MABANK–The Mabank City Council met in the Community Room next to Tri-County Library Nov. 7 due to city hall being used for voting. 
The council heard from Dr. Dirk Perritt with MD Health Pathways. Perritt has approached the city with a proposal to offer teledoc access to Mabank residents.  He originally made this proposal at the March 7 council meeting, at which time the council authorized the city manager to research entering into a contract.
As an emergency room doctor, Perritt said he sees families entering the emergency room for colds, flu and strep throat. “They see a doctor for 10 minutes get a prescription and get charged over $1,000, all because they do not have sufficient or no insurance,”
MD Health Pathways will charge the city a monthly fee of $5.00 per household within city limits to use their service. The city will then pass the charge on to citizens through the utilities bill each month. What the fee will offer is unlimited medical provider access for the entire family. The first 90 days will be a free trial period. If citizens choose, they can opt out of the service at any time by just completing the form in the utility bill. In the coming months, citizens will be receiving information about the program in their utility bill.
When the service becomes available to the citizens of Mabank, they will be able to text or call MD Health Pathways when they or a family member is feeling ill. A one-time registration will have to be completed. Within 60 seconds a local Texas-certified emergency room doctor will answer  via text or Facetime. The doctor will make a diagnosis and then call in a prescription if needed. If the prescription cannot be picked up, it can be delivered to the resident for a minimal fee.
Mayor Randy Teague asked the question, “If somebody wanted to use this to acquire drugs, I think that is a concern. Can you speak to us about how that is handled?” Perritt’s answer was, “The only drugs that they are going to be able to get are antibiotics, hypertension meds and diabetes meds because we do not prescribe any scheduled narcotics. So, no one could get narcotic painkillers, muscle relaxers, or anxiety meds. That is intentional, a patient needs to see a provider in person because those are dangerous prescriptions.” The company keeps a medical record on all calls just like any doctor’s office which will help with repeat calls and chronic illnesses.
Perritt told the city council, “I just hope you guys see my heart in this. I have been frustrated with our medical system and I know too many of you have been as well. And I think the only way you can go about fixing it is by going outside of the traditional system. It doesn’t cost a lot of money when you get a doctor connected to a patient. What costs a lot of money is having a huge billing staff resubmitting the insurance, getting denied and having expensive buildings. All my providers are ER-trained doctors who are local. They love it because they get to work from their home. So, it is the same ER doctor that you see in the local ER. You just don’t have to drive and pay $1,000 to see them.”
Mabank City Council members agreed to enter into a contract with MD Health Pathways. Teague commented, “I think this can be a tremendous benefit for our citizens. I appreciate the offer that you made concerning the opt-out provisions. I think that one of the things that we struggle with anytime is when the council takes up those discussions making sure that our people know that we are making the best decisions we can to not spend their money without their knowledge.”
In other business, council members:
• Approved final plat project on South Highway 198.
• Signed and accepted Ordinance 2023-11 Hotel Occupancy Texas to change hotel tax to be paid monthly instead of quarterly. 
• Moved to pursue ordinance for speed limits throughout the city, especially subdivisions.
• Deemed property located at 114 E. Chestnut as dangerous and to be condemned. Tear-down will begin within 30 days.