NORTH COVE, N.C. — One of the nation's largest IV suppliers that was shut down by Hurricane Helene is working to fully restore operations as hospitals across the country reported shortages.
Baxter International's western North Carolina manufacturing plant has been closed for weeks since Helene battered the mountains. The Marion-based plant supplies 60% of the nation's IV bags, which left many health care providers on edge.
"Looking at elective procedures and elective surgeries, we may need to postpone them for now," Christopher Chamberlain with the Hospital and Healthsystem Association of Pennsylvania told WFMY-TV. "The challenge is those are short-term strategies."
A new survey from health care provider Premier found that 86% of providers are experiencing IV fluid shortages after Helene. The survey found that smaller hospitals were more likely to report receiving 0% of their ordered IV fluids due to Helene's impacts.
Baxter's North Carolina plant resumed shipments earlier this month, but supplies have been limited due to the shutdown. Crews had to build a temporary "rock bridge" so trucks could access the facility after the storm. Baxter said more than 2,500 North Carolina employees are returning to pre-Helene staffing levels across multiple round-the-clock shifts.
“The pace of recovery at Baxter’s North Cove facility has been very encouraging," the company said on Thursday. "Our local team has been tenacious in the face of daunting challenges, as we have advanced from site flooding and inaccessibility to deep cleaning and preparing equipment for restart– all in less than three weeks. In parallel, we have transported more than 450 truckloads of undamaged finished products off-site and to customers and have activated our global manufacturing network in support of our life-sustaining Mission. We will build on this strong progress as we prepare to begin restarting North Cove production in the coming weeks.
The company said full restoration of utilities and IT infrastructure has exceeded expectations. Baxter says it is completing a deep cleaning of the facility and assessing all of the equipment before resuming operations. So far, more than 450 truckloads of finished product have been shipped out of the North Cove plant.