In Michigan, more than 90% of the geographic area is classified as “rural,” according to the 2024 Roadmap to Rural Prosperity report. This encompasses 70 out of Michigan’s 83 counties.
This rural nature presents challenges in accessing medical services, noted Alison Arnold, director of Central Michigan University’s Rural Health Equity Institute. Rural residents have unique needs because services, whether health or community-related, are often not nearby. This creates transportation challenges for specialist visits or health tests, which are not always readily accessible and can be time-consuming.
This extra travel time can delay or interrupt medical treatment, Arnold added.
A new pilot program aims to use drones to address these time gaps in accessing medical services. Traverse Connect and other organizations received nearly $700,000 in state funding to test the use of unmanned aircraft systems for delivering medical supplies.
Drones could deliver a range of supplies, from lab tests and results to medical equipment, reducing the reliance on road transportation and potentially benefiting the environment.
The first phase of the project will last about a month and test drones within a 3- to 4-mile radius of Munson Medical Center in Traverse City. If successful, phase two will extend the range to up to 20 miles.
The pilot is expected to start by the end of August, starting with a visible line-of-sight plan and gradually expand.
The project partners include Traverse Connect, Munson Healthcare, DroneUp, Blueflite, Northwestern Michigan College, CMU’s RHEI, and the Freshwater Research Innovation Center.
If the pilot proves successful, the drone delivery model could be expanded beyond Michigan and applied to various types of supplies.
The goal is to create a scalable and pragmatic mode for integrating drones into healthcare deliveries.
Image source: Zipline (representative image)