TANGIER, Va. — The Elevating Health Care Access Project is launching a program using drones to deliver critical medication to rural communities, such as remote Tangier Island on Chesapeake Bay.
Organizers say this innovative approach will get patients the care they need faster. On Thursday, project officials hosted a live demonstration of the Kite B drone. In just 16 minutes, the drone made the 17-mile journey from Riverside Shore Memorial Hospital on the Eastern Shore to Riverside Tangier Medical Center on Tangier Island.
The drone is a significant upgrade, but it's also becoming a lifeline for harder-to-reach communities.
Nick Chuquin, the President of Riverside Shore Memorial Hospital, said the drone's ability to travel long-distance is an advantage.
"Kite B Drone is a larger drone than the ones we've been using for the 2-mile delivery," Chuquin explained. "It's got a cargo bay."
The demonstration concluded months of test flights by DroneUp, America's leading autonomous drone delivery company, which successfully reduced delivery times to this remote region.
"So, instead of having patients wait sometimes one or two weeks for sometimes critical labs they can't get off the island... once we progress, we're going be able to do this almost as close to point of care as we can."
The project is funded through the federal SMART Grant research program and could enter stage two by next year. Chuquin said this program is focused on those underserved rural communities on Tangier Island and Virginia's Eastern Shore, with larger ambitions planned in the years ahead.
"We can actually deploy maybe a small AED, Narcan to an overdose, and we can get that to that patient in some cases faster than EMS," said Chuquin.
He said leaders will analyze data to learn where Kite B drone has the most need, adding that he believes once others see how well this program works, more hospitals across the Commonwealth will follow suit.
"So, the focus has been: let's get to the finish line," Chuquin said. "Let's prove that this can be done safely because once we can do this, we can expand."
