Baxter said Monday it has made progress restoring a North Carolina manufacturing plant damaged by Hurricane Helene.
Rain and storm surge from Hurricane Helene flooded the plant and damaged access bridges. So far, Baxter has not identified any structural damage to the facility. The Marion, North Carolina, site is the company’s largest manufacturing facility and produces dialysis solutions and IV fluids.
Baxter is resuming shipments of dialysis products to hospitals and patients after a temporary hold last week.
Hospitals raised concerns to President Joe Biden on Monday about reports of substantial supply shortages, noting the facility produces about 60% of the IV solutions used daily in the U.S. In the letter, the American Hospital Association wrote that Baxter and other suppliers have put customers on “strict ordering allocations” and are not accepting new customers.
Baxter said it moved finished goods from the North Carolina site that were not affected by the storm and will use them to support current allocations in the short term. The company is also ramping up production in several of its global plants to meet demand in the U.S.
The local aquifer, which is the main source of water used in manufacturing, is intact.
Baxter installed a temporary rock bridge to allow for transportation in and out of the site, and the company expects a second bridge will be installed by the North Carolina Department of Transportation soon.
The company expects engineering certification for the site within the next two weeks, and plans to communicate anticipated production plans within that time frame.
Baxter said it had accounted for most of the 2,500 people who work at the site, and that power had been restored. A small number of people still aren’t accounted for, and the company is reaching out to employees in remote locations, where damaged roads and bridges make it difficult to leave home.
“Supplies, electricity, and cell service remain very limited in the area,” the company said in a statement. Baxter has continued to pay employees since the plant closed.