Banner Health is delaying some surgeries because of the nationwide shortage of intravenous fluids, and the hospital system hasn’t said when its normal schedule will resume.
Cassie Amundson, a spokeswoman for Banner, confirmed that some non-emergency procedures have been delayed or canceled since Monday at all of Banner’s locations, including its five Colorado hospitals.
She declined to say how many people will have to wait longer for their procedures or how hospitals are deciding which to prioritize.
The hospitals will reach out to affected patients, Amundson said. The changes are necessary to ensure they have fluids for emergencies, she said.
“While Banner has received some partial shipments and implemented stringent conservation measures, our current supply is insufficient to safely maintain our usual volume of surgeries,” she said in a statement.
Banner owns North Colorado Medical Center in Greeley, McKee Medical Center in Loveland, Fort Collins Medical Center, Sterling Regional MedCenter and East Morgan County Hospital in Brush.
At least 14 other health systems around the country have also delayed procedures because of the shortage. Other Colorado hospital systems have said they are working to conserve fluids, but haven’t reported postponing surgeries.
The shortage began after Hurricane Helene damaged a North Carolina plant owned by Baxter International, the country’s largest supplier of fluids given intravenously or for dialysis. On Thursday, the company posted an update saying that utility services were back on at the plant, though the facility would need deep cleaning before production could restart.
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services reported that flights from overseas plants will begin arriving Saturday, and that it had invoked the Defense Production Act to make sure Baxter got materials needed for the cleanup. Among other things, the act allows the government to require businesses to produce critical supplies during national emergencies.
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