Drone makes medical supply deliveries to rural area

WISE CO., Virginia (WPVI) -- The use of drones is expanding into healthcare.

The government approved some test flights.

And over the weekend, a drone delivered medicine to a pop-up health clinic in rural Wise County, Virginia.

The Remote Area Medical clinic hospital is created every summer.

Residents of central Appalachia often camp out for days to see a doctor or dentist.

It is often called the largest health-care outreach operation in the nation.

This year, it was also the scene of a technological first, becoming the first clinic to receive medical supplies from a drone.

Hundreds of people came out to watch at the county fairground, as a manned helicopter carried the packages most of the way, then the drone took over.

The clinic saw about 3-thousand people and the director says at least 30 people were directly helped by the drone delivery.

The test was done to study how drones could be used in humanitarian crises around the world.