JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – A drone delivery company partnered with Mayo Clinic to drop off prescriptions in Jacksonville.
Thanks to Mayo Clinic’s partnership with Zipline, a logistics company, instead of having to walk into a pharmacy or drive through, people could get their medicine delivered to their front door, via drone.
According to Zipline’s website, the autonomous drones would make deliveries directly to Mayo’s patients’ homes.
News4JAX Crime and Safety Analyst Tom Hackney explained how this could work.
“I see the pros being that the folks that need this medication can get it quickly and not have to wait in line at the pharmacy or not have to travel to the pharmacy,” Hackney said. “People who have some difficulty in mobility or getting around this is going to be a timesaver and in many cases a lifesaver.”
But these aren’t the first companies to attempt autonomous deliveries.
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Hackney said logistics and tracking would be important to keep the packages in the right hands.
“You can kind of hope that before they deliver this there is some communication between in the company and the company isn’t just dropping drugs off at somebody’s front door,” Hackney said.
Walmart announced its largest drone expansion of any retailer in the United States.
According to Zipline, the prescription delivery program is a part of Mayo Clinic’s advanced hospital-at-home program.
The deliveries can occur in minutes.
Mayo Clinic officials told News4JAX the program will be up and running in mid-2025.