DENVER — When Hurricane Helene struck North Carolina, it knocked Baxter Healthcare, a medical supply manufacturer that supplies 60% of the nation's IV fluid supply, offline.
Supply chain experts say many hospitals are taking measures to insulate themselves from a shortage.
"The concern that we have is that the hospitals are going to panic when it comes to supplies, and then that will create disturbance in the supply chain," said Professor Jack Buffington, director of supply chain management at the University of Denver.
Many of us remember supply chain issues during the COVID-19 pandemic. For a time, it was common to only find empty shelves when searching for toilet paper. Hospitals can fall victim to the same behavior — overbuying.
"So, that's the reason why these manufacturers are putting the hospitals on allocation so you don't have a whipsaw effect of them panic buying and then that creating a disturbance," said Buffington.
The Food and Drug Administration declared a shortage of some fluids on Friday. allowing some hospitals to create their own IV and import supplies from countries like Ireland.
Denver7 reached out to four of the major systems in the Denver metro area, which all said there has been no impact or delays. Each system said they will continue to monitor the situation.
In a statement issued Monday, Baxter said it expects 3,000 employees to help with cleanup and recovery this week. The goal is to get back to 90 to 100% allocation of some IV fluids by the end of the year.
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