The American Hospital Association (AHA) has a dedicated webpage to keep member informed on the IV fluid supply Chain shortages. Click Here
On October 7, 2024, AHA submitted a letter to President Biden urging the Administration to take immediate actions to increase the supply of IV solutions for hospitals and other health care providers that are struggling with shortages following the closure of a Baxter manufacturing plan as a result of Hurricane Helene.
“Our members are already reporting substantial shortages of these lifesaving and life-supporting products,” Pollack wrote. “Patients across America are already feeling this impact, which will only deepen in the coming days and weeks unless much more is done to alleviate the situation and minimize the impact on patient care.”
See the letter for a number of specific actions the AHA is asking the Administration to take to support hospitals’ ability to care for patients and communities. In addition, the AHA invited the White House and agency experts to join the association in a forum to communicate directly with hospitals and health systems to “inform each other in real time on the status of the situation while we work together to mitigate the impact on patients.”
Conservation of Supplies and Resources to Assist
While each hospital and health system and their clinical teams should use their own judgment in how they implement their conservation strategies, the following are some resources that can be helpful as you manage the ongoing situation.
- ASHP recommendations, which were updated after the closure of the Baxter plant in North Carolina, for managing fluid shortages and conserving supply. ASHP is the largest association of pharmacy professionals in the United States.
- Baxter letter to customers regarding product management and conservation actions.
Further Questions
If you have further questions, please contact Nancy Foster, vice president for quality and patient safety policy, at nfoster@aha.org, Roslyne Schulman, director of policy at rschulman@aha.org, or Mike Schiller, executive director of AHA’s Association for Health Care Resource & Materials Management, at mschiller@aha.org.
