The North Carolina-based health system is the first in the nation to be granted a waiver by the FAA.
Novant Health, Inc. said Wednesday that it will use drones to shuttle personal protective equipment and other medical supplies to its hospitals battling the coronavirus pandemic in the Charlotte, North Carolina metro area.
The service, a partnership with drone flight company Zipline, is the first to be granted a Part 107 waiver by the Federal Aviation Administration. The operations will be under the auspices of the North Carolina Department of Transportation's Unmanned Aircraft System Integration Pilot Program, Novant said in a media release.
"The COVID-19 pandemic has tasked us with being even more nimble and innovative in how we solve complex challenges," said Angela Yochem, Novant's chief digital and technology officer.
"Fast-tracking our medical drone transport capability is just one example of how we're pioneering in the health care industry, which is known for being resistant to change," she said.
Novant Health operates 15 hospitals and nearly 700 care venues in the southeastern United States.
The drone flights in the Charlotte area will range from 20 to 30 miles round trip. Zipline drones have a range of about 100 miles per round trip, which would put more than 30 additional Novant Health site within range upon FAA approval. The drones will fly in Class-D controlled airspace, where air traffic is managed by the FAA.
"Contactless" deliveries will be launched from an "emergency drone fulfillment center" and shuttled to designated drop zones. The drones can carry nearly four pounds of cargo and fly up to 80 miles an hour, even in high winds and rain.
The partnership hopes to expand beyond emergency services in the Charlotte area over the next two years to include regular commercial operations for healthcare sites, and ultimately fly directly to patients' homes across the state, which would have to be approved by the FAA.
"Hopefully, this project and ones like it can help ease the strain on our medical supply chains," North Carolina Secretary of Transportation Eric Boyette. "We're living through an unprecedented situation, and we're going to need innovative solutions like this to get us through it."
“The COVID-19 pandemic has tasked us with being even more nimble and innovative in how we solve complex challenges.”
Angela Yochem, Novant Health
John Commins is a content specialist and online news editor for HealthLeaders, a Simplify Compliance brand.
KEY TAKEAWAYS
The drone flights in the Charlotte area will range from 20 to 30 miles round trip.
The drones will fly in Class-D controlled airspace, where air traffic is managed by the FAA.
Novant hopes to expand the project over the next two years to include commercial operations for healthcare sites, and fly directly to patients' homes across the state.