The state of Maryland has secured $1.7 million in Federal funding to pilot the use of drone aircraft systems to expand access to healthcare resources.
Gov. Wes Moore announced that the funding, which comes from the Department of Transportation, will be used to improve access to healthcare resources in rural communities on Maryland’s Eastern Shore.
“All Marylanders deserve equitable access to health care and health care resources,” said Gov. Moore. “This funding will strengthen our capacity to support our rural communities and presents an important opportunity to learn more about how enhanced technology can be deployed to serve those in need.”
The state said that uncrewed aircraft systems (UAS) will be one tool the state uses to address poor health outcomes that are linked to lack of transportation for obtaining medical services. Additionally, UAS can help reduce travel time by healthcare provider staff to serve homebound patients.
The Eastern Shore pilot will deliver medical packages between Crisfield and Smith Island, which is home to several hundred residents who are linked to the mainland only by commercially-operated boat services.
“The Maryland Department of Planning is excited to partner on this project to advance the use of technology to support rural communities in need where access to critical services is limited,” said Maryland Department of Planning Secretary Rebecca Flora, AICP. “This project will not only advance new innovative approaches to providing support for ongoing needs, it will also advance how these technologies may be used in resiliency planning and reaching hard to reach places after disaster recovery.”
The Federal funding is part of the Strengthening Mobility and Revolutionizing Transportation (SMART) grants program, which funds projects that are focused on advanced smart city or community technologies and systems to improve transportation efficiency and safety.
The Maryland Department of Planning will serve as the grant manager; the University of Maryland UAS Research and Operations Center will serve as project manager and technical lead; and the University of Maryland Eastern Shore Aviation Science Program and School of Pharmacy will be partners in the project.
“The UMD UAS Research and Operations Center looks forward to using drones to improve health outcomes,” said UAS Research and Operations Center Director John Slaughter. “Pioneering the use of UAS for medical deliveries in Maryland, we will set the stage for expansion as new FAA rules come into place that will facilitate regionalizing these services not only within the state but even across state lines,” he said.
As part of the pilot program, a commercial drone services provider will be selected to participate in all aspects of technical preparation, to obtain necessary Federal Aviation Administration permissions, and to perform flight operations. A local health care provider will assist in coordinating the medical and pharmaceutical delivery support.
Preliminary work, including outreach to Smith Island residents and procurement of drones, is now underway.
