CHEEKTOWAGA, NY – Oct. 13 –Walmart, Quest Diagnostics, and DroneUp today announced a pilot program to provide drone delivery of COVID-19 at-home self-collection kits to single-family homes in the Cheektowaga-area. The pilot in Cheektowaga is the second drone delivery COVID-19 self-collection kit launch since first piloted in North Las Vegas earlier in September. Drone deliveries will launch from the Cheektowaga Walmart, located at 2500 Walden Avenue, to single-family homes within a 1-mile radius of the store. Learnings from this pilot will help determine what roles drones can play in pandemic response, health care delivery and retail.

The drone delivery pilot will be available while supplies last every day from 8:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m., weather and visibility permitting. Once delivered, patients will perform a self-administered nasal swab in the privacy of their home. Patients will ship the sample to a Quest Diagnostics lab using a provided pre-paid shipping envelope for processing at the lab and will receive their COVID-19 test results through the secure Quest Diagnostics MyQuest™ online portal or app.

“Walmart has been serving the Cheektowaga community throughout the pandemic with drive-thru testing sites, and we wanted to provide another way to access testing that provides convenience and leverages technology while learning how drones could impact the delivery of healthcare in the future,” said Amanda Jenkins, Vice President of Operation Support and Implementation, Walmart U.S. Health and Wellness. “We are grateful to our Quest and DroneUp partners, and our pharmacists and associates, for their support in launching the pilot as we continue to work together during the pandemic.”

To be eligible for drone delivery, patients must live within the 1-mile radius of the Cheektowaga Walmart store and request a drone delivery appointment through www.GetDroneTest.com.  There is no delivery cost for patients who qualify to receive an at-home self-collection kit through this pilot program. Patients must also meet CDC and state and local guidelines for testing and must be 18 years of age or older.  Patients can visit www.GetDroneTest.com for more information and to determine if they are eligible.

The kit includes a device for anterior nares (nasal) swab collection, which is the same kit Quest recently made available through its consumer-initiated testing site, QuestDirect™, where consumers can conveniently purchase a COVID-19 Active Infection Test. The specimen is then forwarded to a Quest Diagnostics laboratory for testing. Test results are available in an easy-to-read report on MyQuest™, the company's secure patient portal accessible on a smartphone, tablet, or desktop.

“Quest Diagnostics is proud to partner with Walmart and DroneUp on this innovative pilot program to examine how drones could deliver health care to patients who are unable to leave their home, or live in remote locations,” said Dan Haemmerle, General Manager of Extended Care at Quest Diagnostics.  “We will take the learnings from this pilot and enhance the ways we deliver health care services to the patients we serve.”

“Collaborating to deliver self-collection kits offers further investment into solutions that will advance safe and effective drone delivery,” said Tom Walker, Founder & CEO of DroneUp. “We are honored to partner with Walmart and Quest to pioneer these deliveries and equally as proud to serve our communities.”

Drive-thru testing in the Cheektowaga Walmart parking lot is available for patients who are not in the drone delivery area, or do not meet the requirements, visit www.MyQuestCOVIDTest.com. Testing is not available inside any Walmart store or in any Quest Diagnostics Patient Service Center.
 

About Quest Diagnostics

Quest Diagnostics empowers people to take action to improve health outcomes.  Derived from the world's largest database of clinical lab results, our diagnostic insights reveal new avenues to identify and treat disease, inspire healthy behaviors and improve health care management.  Quest annually serves one in three adult Americans and half the physicians and hospitals in the United States, and our 47,000 employees understand that, in the right hands and with the right context, our diagnostic insights can inspire actions that transform lives. www.QuestDiagnostics.com.

About Walmart
Walmart Inc. (NYSE: WMT) helps people around the world save money and live better – anytime and anywhere – in retail stores, online, and through their mobile devices. Each week, over 265 million customers and members visit approximately 11,500 stores under 56 banners in 27 countries and eCommerce websites. With fiscal year 2020 revenue at $524 billion, Walmart employs 2.2 million associates worldwide. Walmart continues to be a leader in sustainability, corporate philanthropy and employment opportunity. Additional information about Walmart can be found by visiting http://corporate.walmart.com, on Facebook at http://facebook.com/walmart and on Twitter at http://twitter.com/walmart.

About DroneUp

DroneUp is the leading complete drone services provider, transforming businesses and government organizations with drone technology solutions. DroneUp’s diverse suite of products includes flight services, data analysis, drone program development, regulatory consulting, training, equipment, and Part 107 drone delivery. Recognized as a UAS industry pioneer with patented mobile app technology and a commitment to research and development, DroneUp further fuels invention and application across private and public sectors. With our people, services, and innovative solutions, DroneUp delivers on operational challenges with efficiency, reliability, and safety. For more information: https://www.droneup.com.