Medical deliveries by drone project holds test flights in rural Virginia

The Elevating Health Care Access project last week hosted a live demonstration of the Kite B drone, which is intended to be used to deliver medications to rural Virginia. The event introduced Tangier Island residents to the project, where patients often endure delays due to transport challenges. 

The event also celebrated the completion of the Stage I goals for the project, funded through the federal SMART Grant research programme. It concluded months of test flights by DroneUp, which reduced delivery times to the remote region. In 16 minutes, a drone made the 17-mile beyond visual line of sight (BVLOS) medication delivery flight from Riverside Shore Memorial Hospital (RSMH) on the Eastern Shore to Riverside Tangier Medical Center on Tangier Island. On the return flight, the drone simulated the transportation of routine lab work back to RSMH for testing.

The Virginia Innovation Partnership Corporation has supported this project since its inception nearly two years ago. 

The final test flight completed the US Department of Transportation’s approval process for the project. Elevating Health Care Access submitted the Stage 2 SMART Grant proposal this summer, with the hope of receiving approval in early 2025. Following approval, the project will begin scaling up efforts for the operation. 

The project’s goal is to develop an operational prototype that will evolve into a self-sustaining public transportation service for vulnerable, underserved communities on the Eastern Shore and Tangier Island.