A new pilot program launched by the state of Maryland could be a game-changer for the people of hard-to-reach Smith Island who rely on medication and other healthcare resources.
The University of Maryland and its partners will test the use of Uncrewed Aircraft Systems (UAS) to improve access to life-saving medical supplies in Maryland’s most rural Eastern Shore communities.
The pilot program is made possible by a $1.76 million U.S. Department of Transportation grant for innovative aviation technology, awarded to the Maryland Department of Planning.
Under the new program, an Eastern Shore drone pilot will deliver medical packages between Crisfield and Smith Island, which is home to several hundred residents who can only reach the mainland by commercially-operated boat service. Some of them are homebound and may have critical medical needs like insulin.
Drone deliveries could also save time on the mainland for healthcare providers who drive cars to patients’ homes to deliver services, medical products, or take lab samples.
“All Marylanders deserve equitable access to health care and health care resources,” said Maryland Governor Wes 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.”
A similar effort is underway on Tangier Island and this pilot program will take guidance from it. Someday, they could even work as an expanded network.
Not only could this project lead to a regional network of medical access, it also has important implications for disaster recovery. In a tragedy like Hurricane Helene, a drone network could be deployed to get lifesaving supplies to hard-to-reach disaster zones.
Along with the state planning department, the University of Maryland UAS Research and Operations Center (UROC) will partner with the University of Maryland Eastern Shore Aviation Science Program and School of Pharmacy and TidalHealth. They will select a commercial drone company to make technical preparations, get the necessary Federal Aviation Administration permissions, and to perform flight operations.
Local healthcare providers will help coordinate medical and drug delivery support. The partners are already working on securing drones and reaching out to Smith Island residents to make them aware of the program.
While the type of drone used will determine the capabilities and weight limits of the medical deliveries, UROC says it’s likely to be somewhere in the five pound range. UROC Director John Slaughter envisions the drones making possible life-changing deliveries like medications with a limited shelf life that can’t be stored for long, Narcan to reach overdose patients quickly, or lab samples.
Slaughter tells us that for Smith Islanders, the drone deliveries could be especially helpful when weather prevents boats from getting in and out of the island, like iced-in winter conditions. Currently, a Maryland state helicopter sometimes has to be launched for emergency medical treatment. On the Crisfield side of the water, flooding can also make getting around difficult.
Slaughter says the technology for drone deliveries like these has been around for quite awhile, but right now federal regulations are lagging behind. In the next one to two years, he anticipates FAA rules will change dramatically and clear the way for drone networks to be established on a larger scale. The federal rulemaking is expected to begin late this year or in early 2025, and finish by 2026.
At that point, medical deliveries could be scaled up, and UROC will have already done valuable real-world testing thanks to the pilot program.
“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,” says Slaughter.
Later this month, the University of Maryland team will travel to Somerset County to meet with the county commissioners, City of Crisfield officials, and Lower Eastern Shore planners in order to move forward.
