Carillon Clinic Teams With DroneUp to Advance Healthcare with Drones

by DRONELIFE Staff Writer Ian M. Crosby

Carilion Clinic has partnered with drone delivery leader DroneUp to explore potential drone applications to improve health care delivery in the Commonwealth of Virginia. The two companies are conducting a three-week proof-of-concept study to test the efficacy of delivering essential medical supplies using drone technology. The study will examine the use of drones in lowering delivery times and expenses while allowing caregivers more time with their patients.

“While we’re starting in Roanoke and are focused on internal deliveries, this study could have broader applications,” said Emergency Medicine VP Paul Davenport. “Curiosity is a core value of Carilion’s, and this discovery period will encourage us to be curious about how drones could deliver goods directly to patients who don’t have transportation or who live in remote locations. We’re asking ourselves: Could drones remove barriers to care?”

Approximately five feet in diameter, DroneUp’s drones fly at around 200 feet in elevation, and can carry up to 10 pounds. The drones will operate within visual line of sight between Riverside Circle and Carilion’s Materials Management warehouse on Franklin Road, while a live stream camera feed lets pilots monitor navigation from the ground. The drones will hover above the delivery location, using a winch to lower the payload onto the 12 ft diameter landing zone.

“Drones present a quicker approach to delivering medicine and medical supplies,” said DroneUp VP of Business Development Greg James. “At DroneUp, we’re always looking for innovative ways to support consumers through drone delivery. Carilion’s core values are aligned with DroneUp’s mission and together we will have a positive impact on patient care by revolutionizing the transport and delivery of critical medical supplies, quickly and efficiently, so Carilion’s medical team can remain focused on their patients.”

Recognized by Fortune this year as one of “America’s Most Innovative Companies,” Carilion has served as a longtime pioneer in the advancement of healthcare delivery. The company brought Life-Guard, the first air ambulance service in Virginia, to the region in 1983.

“Finding solutions that bring care closer to our patients is part of our DNA,” said Davenport. “We think drone technology will help us meet our neighbors where they are.”

Read more:

Ian attended Dominican University of California, where he received a BA in English in 2019. With a lifelong passion for writing and storytelling and a keen interest in technology, he is now contributing to DroneLife as a staff writer