ST. LOUIS – The devastating damage from Hurricane Helene included a factory in North Carolina where much of the IV bags used in the United States are produced. The bags are used to administer liquids and medicine to patients in need of care.
The damage from Helene, coupled with concerns over Hurricane Milton’s path, has raised concerns over the supply levels of IV bags across the country, including in the St. Louis area.
“We’re looking at other opportunities to increase that stock so we can make sure that we’re prepared as a region to be able to take care of everyone,” St. Charles County Ambulance District Deputy Chief Jeremy Hollrah said.
He added current supplies are sufficient, and SCAAD has been communicating with hospitals and public health agencies to monitor levels.
“We try to not impact patient care, but we are very careful as to who actually receives some supplies,” Hollrah said. “So, if we don’t necessarily require it for your care, we might back that off a little bit and give you a little bit less of the fluid if you’re not needing the fluid replacement.”
Mitch Millstein is a professor of supply chain management at UMSL. He is concerned about potential damage to critical ports where imports and exports travel between the United States and multiple continents.
“That’s the part that nobody’s really talking about: the effect that this hurricane could have on our port infrastructure, which has been built out and is very important to our economy,” Millstein said.
According to Millstein, a worst-case scenario hurricane would damage ports, disrupting a wide array of supplies, including food. Millstein said if that happens, consumers can expect an increase in inflation.
“There are all kinds of negative outcomes that we could expect from supply chains getting disrupted, as we’ve learned over the last five years,” he said.
