Hurricane Maria ripped through Puerto Rico with wind speeds up to 175 miles per hour last September. Now, nearly four months later, Hurricane Maria is affecting the medical industry.

As a result of Hurricane Maria, Baxter International Inc., a manufacturing company which has three sites in Puerto Rico, temporarily shut down. According to reporting by CBS News, Baxter is responsible for 43 percent of the United States’ IV supply. As flu cases increase, this has become more prevalent across the nation—including the Ames area.

Doug Wetrich, director of the Mary Greeley Medial Center Pharmacy, said this has “definitely been affecting Mary Greeley” and that they have a rough two to three months ahead of them.

“We’ve not been able to acquire what we normally acquire,” Wetrich said. “We’ve definitely had challenges. However, we’ve been able to make some changes within the hospital to get around it.”

Wetrich reports they have looked into and adopted alternative protocols, such as using glass vials in replacement of IV bags. 

“All in all, it’s caused a little bit of work to make sure everyone gets what they need, but it’s nothing that would impact patient care,” Wetrich said. 

Thielen Health Center was not available for comment.

Human hospitals aren’t the only ones being affected. 

Tom Johnson, director of Lloyd Veterinary Medical Center, said they had been facing an IV fluid shortage long before the hurricane, so they had already been looking into replacements for IV treatment.

“We’ve spoken to all of our alternative distributors about [the current shortage],” Johnson said. “None of them have had any idea how long the current shortage will last.”

That being said, Johnson said that the challenge at this point isn’t getting IV bags — it’s the cost.

“The biggest problem in the coming months is going to be prices,” Johnson said. “[IV bags] are costing four to six times as much as before.”

Currently, both Mary Greeley and Lloyd Veterinary Medical Center are reporting that they have plenty of supplies and are equipped to serve the community.

The Iowa State Daily also reached out to Thielen Health Center and Somerset Veterinary Hospital.