Virginia faces IV fluid shortage after Helene damages major NC facility
HENRICO COUNTY, Va. (WRIC) — Some hospitals and healthcare facilities in Virginia could soon feel the strains of the shortage of IV fluid. The shortage comes after a facility in North Carolina responsible for making the life-sustaining fluid was damaged by Helene. Leaders with the Virginia Hospital and Healthcare Association (VHHA) said that the shortage is having a small impact at this time. University of Virginia (UVA) Health is temporarily stopping non-emergency or elective surgeries, but the pause is something they hope won't be in place for long. “They're not saying to anybody that's experiencing a medical crisis, like, 'We can't help you,'" said Julian Walker, vice president of communications at VHHA. "They're just saying, 'Hey, this is a scheduled thing, it doesn't have to happen right now, we can do this later.'" He said that the healthcare system has been working closely with Baxter International, Inc.'s North Cove Facility, located in Marion, North Carolina. The company produces about 60% of America's IV fluid. However, flooding from Helene halted production. “They are taking steps to ramp up production at other facilities and to allocate shipments,” Walker said. Hurricane Milton strikes Florida, officials warn of hurricane relief scams On Tuesday, Oct. 8, the Virginia Department of Health (VDH) requested all healthcare providers start conserving what they have to fight the potential impact of a shortage. “Initially, what our members were told was that they would get reduced allocations -- somewhere in the neighborhood of 40 to 50% of what they would normally get," Walker said. The FDA has not declared any new shortages related to items produced at the Baxter facility. “But the bigger point is [that] hospitals in Virginia have shown their ability to be resilient and to be adaptable when they are confronted with challenges, whether it's supply shortages -- like what we're dealing with now with the IV solution -- or whether it's what was experienced during COVID,” Walker said. Following the FDA’s announcement of the shortage, the AHA created a webpage with updates from other federal agencies and related resources.
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HENRICO COUNTY, Va. (WRIC) — Some hospitals and healthcare facilities in Virginia could soon feel the strains of the shortage of IV fluid. The shortage comes after a facility in North Carolina responsible for making the life-sustaining fluid was damaged by Helene.
Leaders with the Virginia Hospital and Healthcare Association (VHHA) said that the shortage is having a small impact at this time. University of Virginia (UVA) Health is temporarily stopping non-emergency or elective surgeries, but the pause is something they hope won't be in place for long.
“They're not saying to anybody that's experiencing a medical crisis, like, 'We can't help you,'" said Julian Walker, vice president of communications at VHHA. "They're just saying, 'Hey, this is a scheduled thing, it doesn't have to happen right now, we can do this later.'"
He said that the healthcare system has been working closely with Baxter International, Inc.'s North Cove Facility, located in Marion, North Carolina. The company produces about 60% of America's IV fluid. However, flooding from Helene halted production.
“They are taking steps to ramp up production at other facilities and to allocate shipments,” Walker said.
Hurricane Milton strikes Florida, officials warn of hurricane relief scams
On Tuesday, Oct. 8, the Virginia Department of Health (VDH) requested all healthcare providers start conserving what they have to fight the potential impact of a shortage.
“Initially, what our members were told was that they would get reduced allocations -- somewhere in the neighborhood of 40 to 50% of what they would normally get," Walker said.
The FDA has not declared any new shortages related to items produced at the Baxter facility.
“But the bigger point is [that] hospitals in Virginia have shown their ability to be resilient and to be adaptable when they are confronted with challenges, whether it's supply shortages -- like what we're dealing with now with the IV solution -- or whether it's what was experienced during COVID,” Walker said.
Following the FDA’s announcement of the shortage, the AHA created a webpage with updates from other federal agencies and related resources.
