MORGANTOWN, W.Va. — The shortage of IV fluids continues to cause statewide health providers to make adjustments.
Mon Health System President and CEO and executive vice president of Vandalia Health David Goldberg said they have a large purchasing and supply management system that has allowed them to get the fluids where they need them.
“We are part of a very large group purchasing organization called Vizient, and they have suppliers all around the country and all around the world, not just the location in North Carolina,” Goldberg said Monday on MetroNews “Talkline”. “That has helped us to be able to move inventory from Charleston to Lewis County and to Monongalia County.”
A North California company that supplies 60% of IV fluids was damaged in the Helene flood.
Goldberg said hospitals across Vandalia are also using alternate means where they can to meet the hydration needs of patients, and that doesn’t always have to be intravenous.
“For oral hydration, we’re using Gatorade under doctors orders because it is able to hydrate our patients and give them the electrolytes they need,” Goldberg said. “We are buying other kinds of fluids that are appropriate that are other than what we get from Baxter International.”.
Goldberg said they are supporting the caregivers at each location who are meeting daily to make sure each location has what they need for the patients that day. Planners are looking into the future to identify needs just to make sure what they need is where they need it.
“So, we are moving inventory around our facilities,” Goldberg said. “Everyday at 8 a.m. we huddle to make sure we have enough not just for the current day but forward looking into our surgical and elective schedule and other needs.”
Goldberg said a silver lining in this shortage is that Mon Health and CAMC have separate supply chains, which has been a benefit.
“Thankfully with CAMC, they are on a different distribution system with a different distribution company than we in the north get, so we’re able to share inventory as we need across north and south facilities,” Goldberg said. “One of the benefits of being a very large health system is we have a very large supply chain.”
Goldberg reported there were problems in the supply chain at this time for dialysis products, and they are watching those supplies.
“We are watching inventory very carefully,” Goldberg said. “We do in-house dialysis at Mon Health Medical Center, and then out-patient dialysis is done with another provider.”