Air Upstate is a cutting-edge initiative aimed at improving the speed and efficiency of couriered deliveries in the hospital space. Air Upstate uses uncrewed aerial vehicles (UAVs), or drones, to transport goods such as medications and labs to a growing number of delivery locations.

Meds to Beds

Air Upstate delivers discharge medications from the Broad Road Outpatient Pharmacy to a drop location at Community General Hospital via drone, significantly reducing the wait time for medications when patients are ready to go home from the hospital. 

How it Works

Outpatient pharmacy prepares the patient order and submits a request through the app. Personnel retrieve the order, weigh it, and load the aircraft. After a system check, the drone performs the delivery flight to awaiting personnel, taking approximately 4 minutes. The patient order is then turned over to a pharm tech and delivered to the patient. 

Other Drone Related Projects

UAVs are a useful tool for visualizing space and gathering data about hard to reach locations. Examples of ways we have used our fleet include:

• Photography and Videography for campus media production
• Tracking building project progress (Nappi Wellness Institute, Verona Cancer Center)
• Building studies (eg; using infrared capabilities to detect leaks)
• Interior Studies with First Person View (flying up a kitchen exhaust flue to examine and document)