Upstate University Hospital in Syracuse, New York, opened a drone port on Tuesday for Air Upstate, the program that flies lab specimens, medications and blood products between Upstate facilities. The program already has clearance to fly to Wynn Hospital in Utica, a hospital Upstate does not own, CNY Central reported.
Air Upstate has completed 8,838 medication deliveries by drone since 2023. CNY Central described the operation as running in partnership with Causey Aviation, the FAA-certificated company Upstate named as its drone operator in 2023. When Upstate announced its FAA waiver in April, its release described Air Upstate itself as the operator, a change DroneXL flagged three weeks ago when Upstate hired a former FAA official to run the program.
Upstate Is Building Its Drone Program Around A 2027 Pathology Institute
Upstate is building its drone program around a pathology institute scheduled to open in June 2027. Robert Corona, the pathologist who runs Upstate University Hospital as CEO, said the drones will be central to the institute and can make deliveries in just three minutes, according to CNY Central’s report…