Halton Healthcare is proud to be part of Care by Air, an exciting, innovative project that is sure to create a buzz in the healthcare transportation industry.
In partnership with DSV Air & Sea Inc. Canada, Drone Delivery Canada (DDC), McMaster University and Air Canada Cargo, Halton Healthcare is excited to be a part of the launch of a six-month pilot project to help develop a safe, reliable and efficient process to transport medical supplies and products using a drone delivery system. This mode of transporting vital and potentially time sensitive medical supplies is among the first of its kind in Canada and will enable the next horizon in healthcare delivery.
The project was officially launched on October 13 with a demonstration flight at DSV Canada’s head office and logistics facility in Milton, Ontario, en route to Halton Healthcare’s Oakville Trafalgar Memorial Hospital (OTMH) by Remotely Piloted Aircraft (RFA) carrying light medical supplies.
“At Halton Healthcare, we are committed to advancing how we deliver care, which includes finding new and efficient ways to use technology. Being at the forefront of an innovative drone delivery system is the ideal way to contribute to the advancement of healthcare so we can be more responsive to the care needs of our patients, families and communities,” says Hilary Rodrigues, Senior Vice President, Corporate Services, Performance & Chief Financial Officer, Halton Healthcare.
The project aims to demonstrate the benefit and value of a drone delivery system in healthcare compared to more traditional transportation methods. It also hopes to garner support and approval for the eventual transport of a wide-range of healthcare supplies and products, including specimens such as blood or human tissue and medical isotopes (supplied by McMaster University) to diagnose and treat heart disease and cancer, by cargo drones.
"The post-pandemic era has highlighted the need to find innovations in healthcare, enabling safe, secure and reliable ways to deliver vital or urgent medical supplies to facilitate patient care,” explains Martin Roos, Managing Director of DSV Air & Sea Inc. Canada. “The Care by Air Project represents a critical step toward optimizing these supply chains. We are excited to take this next step in drone logistics by partnering as the hub for deliveries to Oakville Trafalgar Memorial Hospital and to play an integral role in developing drone delivery routes in our communities. This will benefit Halton Healthcare’s hospitals and the patients they serve.”
“This partnership with Halton Healthcare and DSV is highly innovative and ground-breaking. The pilot project is just the first step of the overall vision of connecting all hospitals within the Halton Healthcare umbrella. We are very proud to commence the operations and look forward to supporting other hospitals in Ontario as well as in Canada for that matter. Our proprietary drone logistics platform is a perfect fit for delivering high-value and high-risk cargo, as is typical in the healthcare market,” says Steve Magirias, CEO of Drone Delivery Canada.
The Care by Air project will initially define flight routes from DSV to Halton Healthcare’s Oakville Trafalgar Memorial Hospital utilizing DDC’s Sparrow drone, its DroneSpot® takeoff and landing zones and the Company’s proprietary FLYTE software. Based on the pilot, the longer-term strategy involves creating a web of flight routes to interconnect all three Halton Healthcare hospitals in Oakville, Milton and Halton Hills.
All operations are conducted in accordance with appropriate Canadian regulations. Flights will be remotely monitored by DDC from its Operations Control Centre located in Vaughan, Ontario.
"McMaster is a recognized leader in the discovery and commercialization of medical isotope technologies, some of the most time-critical medical supplies in the world. We are excited to be collaborating with the Care by Air team to create an innovative transportation solution that will improve access to medical diagnostics and therapies for patients not only in Canada, but around the world," says Andrea Armstrong, Adjunct Professor and Research Scientist at McMaster University.
For more information please visit www.haltonhealthcare.com or see the Care By Air Drone Project Q&A.