BayCare and Zipline to Launch Drone Delivery Service

CLEARWATER, Fla., July 1, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- BayCare, the largest not-for-profit academic health care system in West Central Florida, announced it will build a health care drone delivery network. This innovative, optional service will enable faster and more reliable delivery of lab samples, medications and critical supplies between facilities and directly to patients' homes.

In partnership with Zipline, the world's largest autonomous delivery service approved by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), the network will offer on-demand, contactless delivery with safety, privacy and patient choice at the center of the experience. The network is expected to launch in late 2027, beginning in the St. Petersburg–Clearwater area before expanding across Tampa Bay.

"At BayCare, we're always looking for ways to remove barriers and make it easier for patients to get the care they need," said Stephanie Conners, BayCare's president and CEO. "This new delivery option allows us to serve customers more quickly and reliably while giving patients more flexibility and convenience. It's one more way we're extending care beyond our walls and closer to home."

The delivery process is fast and simple: a provider places an order into a Zipline Dropbox at a designated BayCare site. Zipline's electric drone autonomously retrieves the order then quietly flies to its destination, whether it's a patient's yard or another facility. Upon arrival, the drone stays up to 300 feet in the air while a pod containing the order descends to the ground on a tether. The pod makes precise deliveries even in high winds and bad weather conditions, leaving the order behind while it flies back to charge for its next delivery. When not in use, the drones will be housed at two charging stations in Pinellas County.

For patients, prescription delivery by Zipline will be optional as the program is designed to make it easy to receive medications and supplies without requiring a trip to a pharmacy or care site. 

For the broader community, Zipline's system is designed to make deliveries faster and more reliable while reducing the need for car trips for small, time-sensitive items. Its electric aircraft can help lower delivery-related emissions and traffic congestion, while its flight and delivery approach is designed to minimize neighborhood disruption. Zipline's aircraft and propeller design helps keep the experience quiet and brief for people nearby.

"BayCare is committed to providing the best service for our patients and supporting the clinicians who care for them," said Donna Lynch, vice president of Laboratory at BayCare. "Working with Zipline gives us the opportunity to build a more connected and efficient delivery network across West Central Florida and meet our patients where they are."

"BayCare is thinking ahead about what better health care delivery should look like for patients, clinicians and communities," said Hillary Brendzel, managing director, U.S. Markets for Zipline. "We want people to have great experiences with health care wherever they are, from hospitals, clinics, pharmacies and even right at homes. Zipline will help BayCare get providers and patients the supplies they need, reliably and quickly, wherever they are."

Zipline will not access any BayCare patient information and is fully compliant with all relevant regulations, including patient privacy laws. Like many traditional delivery providers, Zipline's system collects just enough information to safely transport deliveries from point A to point B — just the weight, volume and carriage requirements (like temperature and handling instructions) of the package.

Zipline helps reduce package theft by giving patients precise delivery windows and real-time tracking, so they know exactly when an order will arrive rather than leaving it unattended for hours. In addition, Zipline can deliver to backyards and other private locations, helping keep packages out of public view.

Zipline operates with the approval of the FAA. To date, Zipline's zero-emission aircraft have safely flown more than 135 million autonomous commercial miles globally, delivering more than 20 million items. Zipline's aircrafts include many redundant flight-critical systems and are designed to minimize human interactions by keeping the aircraft far away from humans and physical obstacles.

About BayCare

BayCare is a leading not-for-profit academic health care system that connects individuals and families to a wide range of services at 16 hospitals, including a children's hospital, and hundreds of other convenient locations throughout the Tampa Bay and central Florida regions. The system is West Central Florida's largest provider of behavioral health and pediatric services and its provider group, BayCare Medical Group, is one of the largest in the region. BayCare's diverse network of ambulatory services includes laboratories, imaging, surgical centers, BayCare Urgent Care locations, wellness centers and one of Florida's largest home care agencies, BayCare HomeCare. BayCare's mission is to improve the health of all it serves through community-owned, health care services that set the standard for high-quality, compassionate care. For more information, visit BayCare.org. 

About Zipline

Zipline is the world's largest and most experienced autonomous delivery service. Today it operates on four continents, makes a delivery somewhere in the world every 20 seconds, and serves more than 5,000 hospitals and health facilities. With more than 135 million commercial autonomous miles flown to date, Zipline is transforming access to healthcare, consumer products and food. Our customers rely on Zipline to save lives, save them time, increase economic opportunity and provide logistics at scale. For more information, visit Zipline.com.

SOURCE BayCare Health System