Hurricane Helene hit North Carolina more than a month ago, but the impact is still being felt in the Bay Area right now in the form of IV fluid shortages.

After the hurricane hit, flooding caused Baxter to temporarily close its North Carolina plant, where it produces 60 percent of the nation’s IV supply.

As a result, the Good Samaritan Hospital had to provide care with only 40% of its usual supply.

Just last week, a public health department asked care providers to conserve.

“We’ve been working on medical protocols to make sure we’re not wasting fluid and being very careful about how we use it,” said Dr. David Ghilarducci, Santa Clara County deputy public health officer.

Sutter Health, which operates several Bay Area hospitals, including Alta Bates in Oakland, said it has already had to reschedule some patients’ elective surgeries because of the IV shortage.

In a statement, Sutter Health said: “We are planning for a prolonged shortage and making daily decisions to optimize our current supply and increase deliveries. As a result, some non-urgent medical procedures have been rescheduled.”

Kaiser Hospital said that while it is not experiencing any impact on care at this time, it is actively monitoring its IV inventories. So does Santa Clara Valley Medical Center in San Jose.

Healthcare leaders say for now, it’s all about managing scarce resources.

“If the shortage continues and we start running out, then they may have to reserve the remaining stocks for emergencies,” Dr Ghilarducci said.

The Baxter plant is back up and running, and the company just announced that it hopes to return to 90% allocation of certain IV fluids by the end of this year.

But local hospitals say they’re not sure when they’ll be able to receive the usual shipment of IV bags.