Riverside has introduced a brand new partnership with DroneUp, Virginia Institute for Spaceflight & Autonomy (VISA) at Outdated Dominion College (ODU), the Accomack-Northampton Planning District Fee, and the Virginia Innovation Partnership Company (VIPC) to start delivering prescription medicines to sufferers who reside on the Japanese Shore and adjoining Tangier Island. In 2022, the partnership submitted a medical drone supply challenge entitled, Drone Medical Package deal Supply for Improved Transportation and Higher Affected person Outcomes, to the U.S. Division of Transportation for funding assist. The challenge was one in all 59 proposals awarded funding via the Strengthening Mobility and Revolutionizing Transportation (SMART) Grants Program out of a nationwide pool of 389 purposes. This challenge was the one software within the Commonwealth of Virginia to be awarded a SMART Grant throughout the inaugural yr of this system.
“We’re all the time searching for revolutionary methods to offer look after our sufferers,” says Sally Hartman, Senior Vice President of Strategic Initiatives at Riverside. “This partnership supplies us with the chance to assist sufferers in additional rural communities by bettering entry to prescription medicines with quick at-home supply.”
The medical cargo drone supply challenge is split into two classes; stage one: planning and prototyping and stage two: implementation. Throughout stage one, Riverside will start using medical cargo drones from DroneUp, a number one autonomous drone supply platform and drone companies supplier, to check and plan for the supply of prescription medicines to sufferers residing in rural areas on the Japanese Shore, significantly for distant communities corresponding to Tangier Island. As soon as stage one is efficiently full, the partnership will transfer into stage two, implementation, the place medical cargo drones will probably be deployed from Riverside Shore Memorial Hospital (RSMH) delivering medicines to a affected person’s doorstep. As drones depart RSMH, the affected person and Riverside’s care groups will be capable to observe supply of medicines in actual time. On the launch of the challenge, Riverside will give attention to delivering hypertension medicines because the Japanese Shore has the next preponderance of hypertension than the remainder of the Commonwealth of Virginia.
“We’re excited to see the primary medical cargo drone take flight from RSMH in Could,” says Nick Chuquin, President of Riverside Shore Memorial Hospital. “The Japanese Shore is a singular geographical space with a rural make-up that may pose accessibility challenges for sufferers in want of prescription medicine. We all know that drone service supply to our sufferers residing in rural areas of our group is not going to solely enhance entry to medicines but additionally enhance affected person outcomes and general well being.”
The medical drone supply challenge on the Japanese Shore was organized final fall with preliminary funding from VIPC’s Unmanned Methods Heart. VIPC has supported different pilot tasks in Virginia using unmanned techniques. In 2020, it teamed with DroneUp to find out the effectiveness of delivering check kits by drone to cease the unfold of the Coronavirus.
“VIPC’s mission is to assist game-changing market growth initiatives, corresponding to this medical drone supply service for Riverside’s sufferers on the Japanese Shore,” Tracy Tynan, the director of the Virginia Unmanned Methods Heart at VIPC, mentioned. “VIPC concentrates on investing seed funding throughout the early phases of technological innovation to stimulate and speed up financial progress, which will increase important sources for communities all through the state.”
VISA’s function on this challenge will probably be general challenge administration, well being outcomes Modeling, Evaluation, and Simulation, and workforce growth in assist of the Accomack- Northampton Planning District Fee, who was the submitting group for this grant.
“The drone supply challenge actually embodies our mission to ignite progress, expertise, and innovation at ODU, our area, and the Commonwealth of Virginia,” mentioned Dr. David Bowles, Government Director of VISA.
“We’re actually excited to be a part of revolutionizing transportation of important medical provides in rural and different areas for individuals who actually need it and to offer emergency first responders with a secure option to higher entry and assess hazardous or disaster conditions,” added John Costulis, VISA Deputy Director.
The medical drone supply challenge on the Japanese Shore will enhance the general well being care expertise for sufferers by delivering their prescription medicine to their doorstep. The partnership is working carefully with the Division of Transportation (DOT) to finalize documentation and start challenge work on June 1, 2023.
To study extra medical companies provided by Riverside on the Japanese Shore, go to riversideonline.com/shore.
