ROCHESTER, N.Y. — Hospitals across the nation are facing shortages of IV fluids after Storm Helene disrupted a major medical fluid manufacturer.

The storm stopped production for Baxter International, Inc. at its North Carolina facility. The company produces 60% of IV and other medical fluids for hospitals across the country. The University of Rochester Medical Center says it’s creating a specialized team to minimize the impact.

In a statement on Friday, URMC said it had several weeks of inventory on hand but it has begun to prepare for a reduction of IV fluid shipments. Here is the full statement:

“This week URMC learned that a large production plant operated by Baxter International, which provides our IV sterile fluids, was damaged extensively by Hurricane Helene flooding. Baxter has paused all shipments across the country, pending an allocation strategy to be implemented later this week.”

“While UR Medicine has several weeks of inventory on hand, we have begun to prepare for a reduction of IV fluid shipments. This includes conservation strategies that won’t affect patient care and creating a specialized team to minimize impact and explore alternatives. Because this affects hospitals nationwide, we anticipate government action to help increase access to IV fluids while the current supply situation is being addressed.”

“It’s currently unclear how long UR Medicine will receive reduced IV fluid shipments from Baxter. We will continue to take action as necessary to preserve safe patient care.”

Our NBC affiliate in Boston says the biggest hospital system in Massachusetts is now grappling with a shortage and other hospitals could be next. Officials at Mass Brigham say the hospital will only get 40% of its usual supply of IV fluids because Baxter doesn’t have enough right now to fill all its orders.

Our sister station in Minneapolis is reporting the same for Minnesota hospitals. Baxter issued a statement on Thursday warning hospitals of shortages coming to all areas of the country. The company says it’s working to restore both the factory and the lives of its North Carolina employees in the aftermath of Helene.

News10NBC also reached out to Rochester Regional Health for how they’re preparing for the shortage. We’ll update this story once we hear back.

The North Carolina facility was the largest producer of IV fluid and other medical fluids in the country. Baxter’s statement said there are too many moving parts to figure out a timeline right now and there’s a lot that needs to come back online before it can start producing sterile drugs again.

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