It’s been more than a week since Hurricane Helene swept over the Carolinas, but the effects are still being felt by some of the region’s most-vulnerable residents in local hospitals.
The Baxter International facility in Marion, N.C. — a major manufacturer of IV fluids and other medical supplies — was badly damaged by the storm and had to halt operations, leading hospitals in the Midlands and across South Carolina and beyond to take steps to conserve their supplies of the needed fluids.
A report by NPR on Friday said the factory in the North Carolina mountains was caked in mud from storm-related flooding and several surrounding bridges had been washed out, although employees were on the scene trying to get production back up and running.
Intravenous fluids are commonly used in hospitals and other medical settings for a wide variety of uses, from re-hydrating patients and replacing blood loss to delivering needed nutrients and medication. Baxter is named by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration as one of the largest suppliers of IV fluids in the country, and the shutdown is having a wide-ranging impact on the medical community, both in the Midlands and across the region.
“We are working closely with our health-care facilities across the state to make sure they have sufficient IV fluids, so that people can receive the medical care that they need,” Edward Simmer, director of the S.C. Department of Public Health, said in a press conference Monday with Gov. Henry McMaster. “We are working with them to conserve supplies, and that while the federal government works with that facility to get manufacturing back online that no one is denied medical care because we don’t have the supplies that we need.”
Local hospitals respond to crisis
In the Columbia area, hospitals are taking steps to ensure patients continue to have access to the medical supplies they need.
“Prisma Health’s clinical and operational leadership is closely coordinating with Baxter to assess the potential impacts of Hurricane Helene on our supply chain,” according to the health system, which runs Baptist and Richland hospitals in Columbia among other facilities. “In response Prisma Health has implemented a conservation plan to ensure continued access to these critical resources for our patients until the supply chain is restored. We are also coordinating with other partners to explore all available resources.”
A spokesperson for Lexington Medical Center said the West Columbia-based hospital was aware of Baxter’s struggles and are monitoring the situation.
“Baxter has notified all customers nationwide of the issue and the associated impact to Baxter’s production abilities,” the hospital said in a statement Monday. “Lexington Medical Center has been following this closely, and [is] working with our physicians to ensure patient care continues as planned. Similar to previous supply chain challenges, Lexington Medical Center will continue to ensure the delivery of safe and quality care for our patients.”
Medical University of South Carolina, which operates medical centers in downtown and northeast Columbia, along with a top-rated medical school in Charleston, said all of its facilities around the state are operating as normal despite the shortage. MUSC hospitals are taking measures to conserve resources and are monitoring the situation, the health system said.
“We understand the concerns surrounding the IV fluid shortage caused by Hurricane Helene,” Patrick Cawley, CEO of MUSC Health, said in a statement. “I want to reassure our patients and their families that we are prioritizing quality and care of our patients. MUSC Health is actively managing the situation and taking all necessary steps to ensure surgeries and procedures occur as planned.”
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