CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Novant is taking to the skies to help fight COVID-19.
The Charlotte hospital system said they will start using delivery drones to deliver PPE and other medical supplies to their teams.
“Novant Health has long been at the forefront of leveraging technology to enhance how health care is delivered to our patients,” said Angela Yochem, executive vice president and chief digital and technology officer, Novant Health. “The COVID-19 pandemic has tasked us with being even more nimble and innovative in how we solve complex challenges. Fast-tracking our medical drone transport capability is just one example of how we’re pioneering in the health care industry, which is known for being resistant to change. We are very grateful to the FAA and North Carolina’s DOT for their help to expedite the process during this unprecedented time.”
Novant Health said they will expand the program over the next two years and could eventually use it to deliver prescriptions to patients' homes.
"Hopefully, this project and ones like it can help ease the strain on our medical supply chains," said N.C. Secretary of Transportation Eric Boyette. "We're living through an unprecedented situation, and we're going to need innovative solutions like this to get us through it."