TRAVERSE CITY — Munson Healthcare is getting closer to making drone delivery and transportation a reality here in Northern Michigan.
Monday, we got a look at the drones that could soon be flying prescriptions to patients.
These drones could also be used to deliver blood and tissue samples across the region.
Munson says they have the potential to reach people in very rural areas and reduce the time it takes to deliver medical samples and prescriptions.
“This allows for us to pick up a sample at an outpatient setting and bring it back to Munson Medical Center without utilizing a vehicle, a van, person to drive and bring that sample into the testing center. So, in a period where employment is really challenging, making sure that we have enough people to do all of the tasks, in and around the hospital, this is a potential game changer for us,” said Tracy Cleveland, Munson Healthcare Supply Chain Vice President.
“It has huge impacts and potential developments in the health care industry. So creating efficiencies, helping to get materials and samples and prescriptions to different places on a more efficient basis, saving manpower, saving money, saving time, hopefully in that process, improving health care outcomes for our residents and our community,” said Warren Call, President & CEO of Traverse Connect.
Munson says several things still need to happen at the federal level, including at the Federal Aviation Administration, before they can use these drones as they hope to.