North Carolina facility that makes intravenous fluid knocked out by Hurricane Helene

The American health care industry is concerned about a possible shortage of intravenous fluid due to the damage Hurricane Helene inflicted on a key complex in Marion, North Carolina.

The Baxter International North Cove facility was flooded during Helene’s storm surge, with no timeline for its reopening due to the extra steps needed to ensure its products are sterile, the company said on its website Thursday.

The Food and Drug Administration, which says North Cove is “one of the largest manufacturers of intravenous and peritoneal dialysis solutions in the United States,” is working with the company and the Department of Health and Human Services to figure out how much medical health product is available.

As of Tuesday, the FDA hadn’t declared a shortage of any Baxter International products made at the North Cove facility. That could change the longer the plant isn’t in operation.

“The kinds of things that are made at this factory are drugs that we’re using every day. And in the case of sodium chloride in particular, potentially for every patient,” American College of Emergency Physicians President Alison Haddock told National Public Radio.

The extent of the damage is still being assessed, with 500 workers on-site to remediate the property. The county bridges leading to the facility were also knocked out in the storm, necessitating the use of a temporary bridge to ship equipment there and transport undamaged stock elsewhere, Baxter International said.

“The safety of our employees, their families and the communities in which we operate remains our utmost concern, and we are committed to helping ensure reliable supply of products to patients. … We will spare no resource — human or financial — to resume production and help ensure patients and providers have the products they need,” Baxter International CEO Joe Almeida said in a release.

The 2,500 people who work at North Cove were evacuated ahead of the storm.