Illustration: Brendan Lynch/Axios
A group of Democratic lawmakers is asking congressional leaders to allocate emergency funding to the FDA to address the IV fluid shortages stemming from Hurricane Helene, Victoria reports, in a letter first shared with Axios.
Why it matters: It represents one of the first congressional requests for federal funding specifically to assist with health care-associated costs from the storm, which swamped a key manufacturing plant in North Carolina that supplies IV solutions to most U.S. hospitals.
- The request is led by Massachusetts Rep. Lori Trahan and co-signed by 45 other Democratic members of Congress.
Catch up quick: A Baxter International manufacturing plant in Marion, North Carolina, had to be temporarily closed due to damage from the hurricane.
- Baxter is now using workarounds and only able to supply products at a limited capacity.
- This situation has led some hospitals to ration IV fluids and postpone elective surgeries and other procedures.
What they're saying: "By ensuring adequate funding for the FDA, we can enhance the agency's capacity to manage the current IV liquid shortage and safeguard the health of our most vulnerable populations," the lawmakers wrote.
- As supply shortages continue to compromise access to care at hospitals nationwide, patients at essential hospitals — those at the core of the country's safety net — are especially at risk," Beth Feldpush, America's Essential Hospitals' senior vice president of advocacy and policy, said in a statement, adding that Congress needs to allocate emergency funding for the FDA.
- Another potential solution outlined in the letter includes the FDA rapidly approving foreign supplies of IV liquids, which was done when Hurricane Maria struck manufacturing plants in Puerto Rico in 2017.
Yes, but: The lawmakers didn't specify the amount of money they're asking for the FDA.
- Because it's unlikely Congress will be called back into session before the election, any real supplemental funding effort probably won't happen until the lame duck.
