Rockland and Westchester hospitals are confident that patient care will not be negatively impacted amid a severe flu season because of a national shortage of IV bags due to hurricane related storm damage to the manufacturing plants.
Rockland and Westchester hospitals are confident they are equipped to ensure quality patient care amid a severe flu season despite national shortages in IV saline solutions due to hurricane-damage at manufacturing plants in Puerto Rico.
One of the major suppliers of IV saline solutions, Baxter International, sustained heavy damage from Hurricane Maria.
This flu season has already been intense, with an 86 percent increase in the last week of December of people with the virus who were hospitalized, according to the weekly influenza surveillance report from the New York Department of Health.
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"Supplies throughout the Westchester Medical Center Health Network are strong and the national shortage has had no impact on patient care at Good Samaritan Hospital or any of the facilities in our 10-hospital network," Communications Director Helene Guss said in an email. "Pharmacy administrators continue to monitor the situation and resources can be shared within our Hudson Valley-based network, if a need arises."
Montefiore Health System, which includes Nyack Hospital, was affected by the shortage, and sought alternative methods to administering medications, according to Rachael McCallen, associate director of media and public relations.
"After the hurricane it became apparent there was a shortage of IV bags used to deliver antibiotics and other medications, so a team from pharmacy, medical and nursing leadership at Montefiore gathered together and devised other safe and effective methods to deliver the medications," McCallen said. "Using larger bags or opting to 'IV push' certain medications, there has been no negative impact for our patients."
An IV push is when medication is injected directly into the vein.
Lauren Malone, director of public relations and marketing for Nyack Hospital, also confirmed that the hospital was affected by the shortages.
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration released a statement earlier this month that the shortage of IV saline fluids was expected to improve in the coming months after Baxter International's pre-holiday announcement that all of their facilities in Puerto Rico were back on the commercial national grid.
The Associated Press reported that the FDA, in an effort to boost supplies, gave two additional companies approval to sell saline bags within the next couple of months and gave Baxter permission to temporarily import sterile fluids from several overseas factories.
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