October 11, 2024
Like hospitals across the United States, our hospitals are facing a shortage of IV and dialysis fluids due to the closure of a production facility in North Carolina after Hurricane Helene. The four central Ohio hospital systems are issuing this joint statement to provide an update on the situation and to assure the community that we are committed to providing safe, quality care to all patients through the duration of this event.
The four hospital systems have implemented a number of conservation strategies to address the shortage. Our hospitals have actively gathered ideas from our bedside care teams and have modified existing processes to safely reduce our use of IV fluids and preserve our current inventory. Our pharmacy and supply chain teams are monitoring the inventory of these products and are working closely with other manufacturers to get supplies from other vendors, when possible.
Our hospital systems are in regular communication with each other — and with 40 hospitals and health systems across Zone 2 which includes 36 counties in central, south central and southeastern Ohio — — to ensure that all of our facilities are prepared to meet the needs of our patients during this shortage. We also appreciate the coordination and assistance provided by the Central Ohio Trauma System, the Ohio Hospital Association and the Ohio Department of Health.
Through collaboration, our hospital systems have identified and shared best practices around conservation of IV fluids. We have shared communications sent to employees and patients to align our messages around strategies moving forward. Our hospitals are issuing this joint statement to the broader community to alleviate any concerns about the safety of the care we are providing to our patients.
As this issue evolves, our hospital systems will continue to collaborate to lessen any impact on patient care. Should the situation escalate over the coming weeks, our systems are preparing now for other mitigation strategies. We may look to reschedule some elective surgeries that require a lot of IV fluid and can safely be postponed until the situation is resolved. Patients will be contacted directly by their provider or hospital if there are changes to any scheduled surgeries due to this shortage.
Our hospital systems have a long history of working together to ensure that quality, safe care is provided to all patients during events such as this IV fluid shortage. The most recent was our high level of collaboration to address similar issues that arose during COVID. Our hospital systems are committed to working together and keeping our community informed when we experience these events.
