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... And Hurricane Milton's approach could worsen the problem, with another key IV fluid manufacturing facility located along its potential path in Florida.

Baxter International's IV fluid manufacturing facility in Marion, N.C., supplied roughly 60 percent of the IV solution used by hospitals in the U.S. every day until Helene temporarily halted operations.

While what remained at Baxter's facility has begun to be shipped out, production may not restart for another week or two. The company says its global plants are ramping up production in response.

Just a week after Helene dissipated, hospitals say they're already beginning to feel the strain of Baxter's temporary halt in production.

Nancy Foster, vice president for quality and patient safety policy at the American Hospital Association (AHA), told The Hill that hospitals nationwide that rely on Baxter have been told to expect 40 percent of their normal shipments of IV solution.

"And that's all that will be available to them until the situation begins to improve," she said.

According to Foster, this means that hospitals will have to think conservatively in terms of how they use IV fluids, prioritizing certain patients who "absolutely need" those solutions and utilizing alternative methods for others. ...