How Providence Swedish is responding to the national IV shortage
Patients with an urgent medical need should not delay care—our emergency departments remain open for those who require immediate medical attention.
Baxter, one of Providence Swedish's pharmacological suppliers, was impacted by Hurricane Helene and had to close production at a manufacturing facility in North Carolina. Baxter supplies Providence Swedish with around 130 products including intravenous and peritoneal dialysis solutions. The situation and impact to products are in a continuous monitoring cycle to make sure our inventory is available to meet the needs of our patients 24/7.
Providence Swedish and our family of brands are employing various mitigation strategies to ensure there is minimal disruption to patient care, including strategies to conserve current supply and use of alternative fluids and solutions as appropriate. Some of our actions to make sure we address all critical, and urgent patient care needs may necessitate a rescheduling of elective (non-urgent, non-emergent) procedures and surgeries. All steps taken to manage this shortage are in alignment with the highest quality and safest care.
The number and kinds of postponements will vary by hospital, and all affected patients will be notified directly. All other patients should keep their scheduled appointments. Patients with an urgent medical need should not delay care—our emergency departments remain open for those who require immediate medical attention.
About Providence Swedish
Providence Swedish has served the Puget Sound region since the first Providence hospital opened in Seattle in 1877 and the first Swedish hospital opened in 1910. The two organizations affiliated in 2012 and today comprise the largest health care delivery system in Western Washington, with 22,000 caregivers, eight hospitals and 244 clinics throughout Western Washington – from Everett to Centralia. A not-for-profit family of organizations, Providence Swedish provides more than $545 million in community benefit in the Puget Sound region each year. The health system offers a comprehensive range of services and specialty and subspecialty care in a number of clinical areas, including cancer, cardiovascular health, neurosciences, orthopedics, digestive health and women’s and children’s care. For more information, visit providence.org/swedish.