BOARDMAN, Ohio (WKBN) — Valley hospitals are feeling the impact of Hurricane Helene after its path of destruction included a facility supplying vital fluids to hospitals across the nation.
Flooding triggered by Helene hit a Baxter International plant in North Cove, North Carolina, that makes much of the country’s supply of sterile intravenous, or IV, fluids. The plant is the company’s largest facility, and it was forced to close without a timeline for resuming operations.
The American Hospital Association (AHA) addressed a special bulletin to President Biden urging his administration to take action to address the shortage. It urged the administration to direct the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to officially declare a shortage of sterile IV solutions and make other accommodations that would ease access, such as extending the shelf-life of existing IV fluids.
In the Valley, a representative for Akron Children’s Hospital said it working closely with supply chain partners to identify the extent of the impact.