up in the air

Walmart picks Houston for expanded drone delivery service

Walmart is bringing drone delivery to Houston.

Courtesy of Walmart

Coming soon to Houston-area skies: drones delivering Walmart purchases to customers.

The retailer is expanding its drone delivery service to five markets: Houston; Atlanta; Charlotte, North Carolina; Orlando, Florida; and Tampa, Florida.

Walmart already offers drone deliveries in Dallas-Fort Worth and Bentonville, Arkansas, where it’s based. In DFW, Walmart is adding supercenters to the region’s current 18-store lineup.

The drone service in the five new markets will launch at 100 Walmart supercenters. Walmart has yet to specify when the drone deliveries will begin in the new cities.

“As we look ahead, drone delivery will remain a key part of our commitment to redefining retail. We’re pushing the boundaries of convenience to better serve our customers, making shopping faster and easier than ever before,” said Greg Cathey, senior vice president of Walmart’s U.S. transformation and innovation arm.

Teaming up with drone provider Wing, Walmart delivers purchases to customers’ homes within a six-mile aircraft range of a store.

“This is real drone delivery at scale,” said Adam Woodworth, CEO of Wing, which is owned by Google’s parent company. “People all around the Dallas-Fort Worth metroplex have made drone delivery part of their normal shopping habits over the past year. Now we’re excited to share this ultra-fast delivery experience with millions more people across many more U.S. cities.”

Today, Wing makes thousands of Walmart deliveries per week in the DFW and Bentonville markets, with an average order fulfillment time of less than 19 minutes.

In Houston and the other new markets, Walmart customers will be able to choose from thousands of items that can be sent via drone. Wing explains that before completing the checkout process on its delivery app, a Walmart customer can pinpoint a location for their delivery, such as their home’s front yard or backyard.

“Then your items will be packed into a specialized box before a Wing delivery drone takes off at your local Walmart store, retrieves the order, and then cruises up to 65 mph to your home. The drone then gently lowers the package to the ground just minutes after takeoff,” Wing says on its website.

To find out more about the availability of Walmart drone deliveries in the Houston area, visit wing.com/walmart.

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making Houston healthier

University of Houston launches cross-disciplinary healthcare initiative

Courtesy of University of Houston

UH Health will align the university's efforts in education, research, and clinical partnerships.

The University of Houston has announced its cross-disciplinary academic venture, UH Health.

It will align UH’s efforts in education, research, and clinical partnerships to create new opportunities to advance research and innovation, community impact, and education, according to a news release.

“From opening the state’s first college of optometry to developing groundbreaking vaccines, improving the health of all Texans has been a UH priority for decades,” UH President Renu Khator said in the release. “Now, with the launch of UH Health, we are bringing together the full strength of our health enterprise to expand our reach, advance research and transform the future of health for our communities.”

UH is adopting a fully collaborative model, with health professionals from various concentrations to help better understand overall patient care, which includes factors like clinical, behavioral and social factors that can influence health outcomes.

UH Health will also have partnerships with HCA Healthcare, Memorial Hermann Hospital, Baylor College of Medicine, MD Anderson Cancer Center, and other Texas Medical Center facilities. In addition, UH Health will work with DHR Health in the Rio Grande Valley to create new opportunities for health care education, workforce development and research in one of Texas' medically underserved regions.

As part of UH Health, UH Health Family Care Center will provide integrated primary care and mental health services to the University and its surrounding communities at affordable prices to serve the Third Ward, East End, and South Houston. The Household-Centered Care program will give students opportunities to work directly with community caregivers through patient home visits, while the 3rd Ward Place of Wellness offers health screenings, preventive services, education and other resources designed to support long-term health and well-being, according to UH. The College of Optometry will continue to see children and families via outreach programs and clinics across the community.

UH Health also aims to address shortages in health care professionals, providing a pipeline from the university to the workforce. According to the Texas Hospital Association, 64 percent of hospitals in the state are operating with reduced services and fewer beds due to staff shortages.

“Preparing the next generation of health care leaders is one of the most important investments we can make in the future of our state,” Jonathan McCullers, vice president for health affairs at UH and dean of the Tilman J. Fertitta Family College of Medicine at UH, added in the release. “UH Health is ensuring our graduates are equipped to work effectively in today’s complex healthcare environment.”

Additionally, UH shared it is investing $77 million into a 55,000-square-foot medical research facility aimed at boosting interdisciplinary research and scientific discovery.

“Healthcare is no longer delivered in isolation, and complex health challenges require coordinated solutions,” McCullers added. “UH Health allows us to work across disciplines to tackle health challenges, advance research and improve outcomes for patients and our community.”

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This story was first published on our sister site InnovationMap.

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