DroneUp, a drone solutions provider, has entered into a multi-party partnership with organizations including healthcare company Riverside Health System (Riverside) to offer drone-based last-mile delivery of prescription medication to patients on the Eastern Shore and Tangier Island, Virginia. Other parties involved in this collaboration include Virginia Institute for Spaceflight & Autonomy (VISA) at Old Dominion University (ODU), the Accomack-Northampton Planning District Commission, and the Virginia Innovation Partnership Corporation (VIPC).

The project will be conducted in two parts. Initially, at the planning stage, Riverside will use the drones to test and plan the deliveries, upon which the project would move into full implementation, where drones will be deployed from Riverside Shore Memorial Hospital (RSMH) for medication delivery.

The project has also received USD 1.8 million in funding from the US Department of Transportation’s SMART Grants Program.

Analyst QuickTake: This is not the first time DroneUp has deployed its drones in the skies over Virginia.  In June 2020, the company partnered with Virginia's Center for Innovative Technology (CIT) to determine how unmanned aerial systems can be useful to make critical deliveries during a crisis. Also, in May 2022, DroneUp announced the expansion of its drone-based deliveries to more Walmart stores in locations including Virginia.