BayCare, a not-for-profit academic health care system in West Central Florida, said it will build a health care drone delivery network to enable faster delivery of lab samples, medications and supplies between facilities and patients' homes.
In partnership with Zipline, an autonomous delivery service approved by the FAA, the network will offer on-demand, contactless delivery. It's expected to launch in late 2027, beginning in the St. Petersburg–Clearwater area before expanding across Tampa Bay.
The delivery process starts when a provider places an order into a Zipline Dropbox at a designated BayCare site. Zipline's electric drone autonomously retrieves the order then flies to its destination, whether it's a patient's yard or another facility. Upon arrival, the drone stays up to 300 feet in the air while a pod containing the order descends to the ground on a tether. The pod makes deliveries even in high winds and bad weather conditions, leaving the order behind while it flies back to charge for its next delivery. When not in use, the drones will be housed at two charging stations in Pinellas County.
For patients, prescription delivery by Zipline will be optional as the program is designed to make it easy to receive medications and supplies without requiring a trip to a pharmacy or care site.
For the broader community, Zipline's system is designed to make deliveries faster and more reliable while reducing the need for car trips for small, time-sensitive items. Its electric aircraft can help lower delivery-related emissions and traffic congestion, while its flight and delivery approach is designed to minimize neighborhood disruption. Zipline's aircraft and propeller design helps keep the experience quiet and brief for people nearby.
Zipline will not access any BayCare patient information and is fully compliant with all relevant regulations, including patient privacy laws.
