The largest manufacturer of intravenous (IV) and peritoneal dialysis solutions was shut down on Sept. 29 due to severe flooding from Hurricane Helene. The closure of the Baxter North Cove facility in North Carolina, a facility that provides up to 60% of the nation’s IV fluid supply, has created a disruption in the supply chain that is being felt by hospitals in every state in the U.S.
Baxter customers were notified in early October that they would receive only 40% or less of their usual IV orders, as the flooding and road outages were not only stopping the manufacture of new IV, irrigation and peritoneal dialysis solutions, but also cutting off access to the large supply of Baxter inventory at that site. WHA immediately began outreach to WHA members, the American Hospital Association (AHA) and other state associations, and state and federal government leaders.
On Oct. 9, WHA sent a
letter to President Biden and the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) adding our voice to AHA and numerous other stakeholders urging the federal government to take action without delay to address current shortages, provide needed flexibilities and “…take all available actions to minimize the impact of the shortage on patient care.”
WHA reached out to the Wisconsin Department of Health Services (DHS) to alert them of the far-reaching impact of the North Carolina plant closure and will remain in contact with state and federal government officials on an ongoing basis. Wisconsin hospitals and health systems, and the Health Care Emergency Readiness Coalitions (HERCs) have also been communicating and sharing information about statewide and regional shortages, with the HERCs activating an event via the state’s emergency management tool:
eICS.
On Oct. 14, WHA was the second state hospital association to coordinate a call for their members to hear directly from Baxter about the plant closure, the IV supply disruption and conservation strategies, and Baxter’s projection for a recovery timeline. For WHA members unable to attend this call a recording is secured in the
WHA On-Demand Learning Center.
WHA continues to monitor the situation with Baxter and our nation’s IV supply closely and share pertinent information with our members as it becomes available. WHA also encourages hospitals to stay in touch with their HERCs to best enable these coalitions to fulfill their role in coordinating, communicating, and responding to crises like the current disruption of the IV solution supply chain.
WHA members may have already received the
CDC Health Advisory (HAN) “Disruptions in Availability of Peritoneal Dialysis and Intravenous Solutions from Baxter International Facility in North Carolina” from their HERC. This HAN provides a good source of links to the latest updates and recommendations on the situation.
Contact WHA Senior Vice President of Workforce and Clinical Practice
Ann Zenk or Vice President of Federal and State Relations
Jon Hoelter, or any of us here at WHA if you have questions, feedback, or status updates regarding your IV supply.