HL Shorts: UnityPoint Health's Crisis Management Response to IV Fluid Shortage

UnityPoint Health CMO Gregory Johnson was involved in a successful crisis management effort last year after Hurricane Helene inflicted severe damage on a medical-grade fluid manufacturing plant in North Carolina, which led to a nationwide shortage of IV and sterile fluids.

When the health system was notified that there would be a 60% reduction in the supply of IV and sterile fluids across the country, executives activated incident command protocols within 24 hours. They assessed their supply of IV and sterile fluids and convened an ad-hoc committee of 60 physicians, advanced practitioners, nurses, and other clinical team members led by Johnson and the chief nursing officer.

View a video of Johnson describing UnityPoint's response to the IV and sterile fluid shortage below.