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Maryland will test drone delivery of prescription drugs to Smith Island

A drone aircraft with a payload of simulated blood, and other medical samples flies during a delivery simulation Wednesday, June 22, 2016, in Lower Township, N.J. (AP Photo/Mel Evans)
Mel Evans/AP
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AP
A drone aircraft with a payload of simulated blood, and other medical samples flies during a delivery simulation Wednesday, June 22, 2016, in Lower Township, N.J. (AP Photo/Mel Evans)

It’s hard enough to get access to the medicine you need… even under the best of circumstances. You gotta ask your doctor to fill the prescription, get to the pharmacy, wait in line, and have a ride home.

Now imagine how much harder the whole errand is when the only way to get to the pharmacy… is by boat. That’s the challenge facing folks who live on Smith Island, which sits 10 miles off the coast of Crisfield in the Chesapeake Bay.

Maryland recently received federal funds for a pilot project to get drones able to make medical deliveries. For details, we’re joined by John Slaughter, director of the University of Maryland’s Uncrewed Aircraft Systems Research and Operations Center.

Links:
Governor Moore Announces $1.7 Million in Federal Funding for Eastern Shore Drone Pilot Program to Improve Access to Health Care Resources
UMD to Develop Drone-Delivery Program for Patients on Rural Island

WYPR's Morning Edition news anchor Ashley Sterner serves up the latest Maryland news and weather every weekday morning, delightfully interspersed with the occasional snarky comment.
Maureen Harvie is Senior Supervising Producer for On the Record. She is a graduate of the University of Maryland, Baltimore County, and joined WYPR in 2014 as an intern for the newsroom. Whether coordinating live election night coverage, capturing the sounds of a roller derby scrimmage, interviewing veterans, or booking local authors, she is always on the lookout for the next story.