UMD Tests Medical Drone Deliveries in Crisfield

Crisfield, MD – There are healthcare challenges across the United States, but in rural areas where transportation barriers are common, access to timely care is especially difficult. Rural residents are 15% more likely to have diabetes and 58% more likely to have heart disease than their urban counterparts. Coupled with transportation challenges, many rural patients struggle to obtain prescriptions or take their medications as prescribed—leading to higher rates of hospitalizations, emergency room visits, and premature deaths. Ultimately, the financial costs are passed on to all citizens.

To address these challenges, the University of Maryland’s UAS Research and Operations Center (UROC), in partnership with the Maryland Department of Planning and several other teammates, successfully launched the Maryland Eastern Shore Drone Medical Delivery Stage 1 project in Crisfield, Maryland. The demonstrations, running September 15–19, are the first in a series that will test how advanced drone technology can close transportation gaps and expand access to critical healthcare resources for rural populations.

Project Purpose

Funded by a U.S. Department of Transportation SMART grant, this project is a proof of concept designed to deliver prescription medications, with future routine and emergency applications that could include special meals, lab specimens, small medical devices, trauma kits, and more. The project begins with flights within the City of Crisfield to look at improving local delivery of medications on the mainland Eastern Shore. It then leads to deliveries between Crisfield and Smith Island, an isolated Chesapeake Bay community of about 200 residents accessible only by boat. Without a pharmacy on the island, when regular boat service is interrupted, Smith Island residents face delays in access to medications. Time-critical emergency deliveries require helicopters even for small packages that could be delivered by drones.

Partners

This collaborative effort includes:

• Maryland Department of Planning (MDP) – grantee
  
• University of Maryland College Park / UAS Research and Operations Center (UMCP/UROC) – primary project execution
  
• University of Maryland Eastern Shore (UMES) – aviation workforce development and pharmacy school support
  
• University of Maryland Institute for Health Computing (UM-IHC) – healthcare research and data management lead
  
• TidalHealth – primary healthcare provider on Maryland’s Eastern Shore
  
• DroneUp – contracted drone service provider

Broader Impact

The primary goal of the project is to improve health outcomes by addressing prescription adherence challenges tied to transportation barriers. Beyond long-term health improvements, the demonstrations will also highlight potential benefits such as supporting first responders with urgent deliveries, integrating connected transportation technologies, reducing wear and tear on roads, and creating new high-tech workforce opportunities.