Hospitals nationwide face significant shortages of intravenous (IV) fluids after Hurricane Helene’s destruction. The powerful storm damaged a Baxter International manufacturing plant, the country’s top supplier of hospital IV fluids and peritoneal dialysis solutions. The North Cove, North Carolina-based facility has temporarily shut down production. “Our North Cove facility in North Carolina remains closed for production due to the significant impact from Hurricane Helene. We are working around the clock to advance the recovery process,” Baxter International wrote. Our North Cove facility in North Carolina remains closed for production due to the significant impact from Hurricane Helene. We are working around the clock to advance the recovery process. More here: https://t.co/8VHT6KvmbW #NorthCoveStrong pic.twitter.com/ZLj2heZ3pm — Baxter International (@baxter_intl) October 3, 2024 Fierce Healthcare reports: The company said Thursday that the plant was “significantly impacted by the rain and storm surge from Hurricane Helene.” While progress is already being made after the storm, which resulted in water “permeating” Baxter’s plant, the company cautioned Thursday that it does not yet have a timeline for when operations at the North Cove site will be back online, Fierce Pharma reported. In addition to the flooding at the site, which is the largest in Baxter’s global manufacturing network, bridges leading to the site were damaged in the hurricane, hampering transportation of remediation equipment going into the facility and some finished products unaffected by the storm that Baxter is seeking to get out to customers and patients, according to Fierce Pharma. The plant in question primarily manufactures intravenous (IV) and peritoneal dialysis (PD) solutions and is the largest producer of those critical drugs in the U.S. The North Cove facility, which employs about 2,500 workers, manufactures 60% of the country’s supply of IV solutions and produces 1.5 million bags per day. Baxter has seven manufacturing sites within North America and 13 plants globally. We continue to make steady progress in restoring our North Cove facility, which was impacted by Hurricane Helene. Latest here: https://t.co/iDDp1EQDVm #NorthCoveStrong pic.twitter.com/mGfXVsMOgw — Baxter International (@baxter_intl) October 7, 2024 Baxter International, the largest manufacturer of certain intravenous (IV) solutions in the United States, shut down its North Carolina plant after being impacted by Hurricane Helene, disrupting critical supply to hospitals. https://t.co/3NIzMSoMD8 — Epoch Health (@EpochHealth1) October 7, 2024 Per USA TODAY: Hospitals are urging the White House to help shore up supplies of IV bags after a North Carolina factory closed because of flood damage wrought by Hurricane Helene. Several hospitals have implemented conservation plans and warned the public of potential disruptions since Baxter International temporarily closed a manufacturing site in Marion, North Carolina, about 35 miles east of Asheville. The Marion factory supplied 60% of the nation’s IV fluids to health facilities. The factory also ships peritoneal dialysis solutions to dialysis centers. On Monday, Rick Pollack, CEO of the American Hospital Association, urged President Joe Biden’s administration to take immediate steps to address the “substantial shortages of these lifesaving and life-supporting products.” “Patients across America are already feeling this impact, which will only deepen in the coming days and weeks unless much more is done to alleviate the situation and minimize the impact on patient care,” Pollack said in a letter Monday to Biden. The AHA, which represents nearly 5,000 hospitals and health care organizations, wants the Food and Drug Administration to declare a shortage of IV solutions and allow hospitals and health systems to prepare sterile IV solutions in their own pharmacies. “In follow-up to the communication issued on September 29, 2024 regarding Baxter’s North Cove, NC facility and the disruption of site operations as a result of Hurricane Helene, below is information from Baxter’s Medical Affairs team regarding immediate product management and conservation actions,” Baxter International wrote. “Healthcare practitioners should use their professional judgment in evaluating the information in this document and assessing the needs and resources of their individual organizations,” it added. Baxter International provided a full list of the impacted products.