Drones to the rescue? Acadian Ambulance developing plan to deliver quicker aid for patients

BATON ROUGE- Acadian Ambulance thinks it may have a revolutionary plan to get equipment to those in need faster. 

Ben Swig, the director of Healthcare Innovation at Acadian, says right now there is a struggle hiring first responders, and response times keep getting longer in certain areas. 

That means people who need urgent care, simply can’t get it. 

“The industry is dealing with a shortage of EMT’s and paramedics. First response is very limited in suburban areas given the higher volumes we are seeing,” Swig said. 

Acadian is now partnering up with BlueFlite, a drone manufacturer out of Michigan. 

Swig says the goal is to use drones to deliver life saving medicine and equipment to those who need it, faster. 

“We can adequately and effectively use drones to speed up the time that we can get an AED, an EPI, and Narcan to somebody and save their life,” Swig said. 

Swig says using drones could save even more lives and hopes it gives everyone in the state a better opportunity to get the medical care they need. 

“We really have the opportunity to benefit everybody, so that nobody in Louisiana is without the ability to have access to life-saving supplies,” Swig said. 

Swig hopes that the drones will be used soon, but it is too early to know when they’ll go into use or how much it will cost.