Baxter Temporarily Closes North Cove, N.C., Facility Due to Hurricane Helene

Baxter International, a global medtech leader, temporarily closed its North Cove facility in Marion, North Carolina because of the impact of Hurricane Helene, which brought unprecedented rain and extensive flooding to Western North Carolina.
 
The North Cove site is currently flooded and closed for production. Baxter is reportedly working around the clock in close coordination with local, state, and federal officials to assess the extent of the damage and implement a plan to bring the plant back online as quickly as possible to help mitigate supply disruption to patients.  
 
Before the storm hit, Baxter implemented its hurricane preparedness plan, which included evacuation plans for colleagues, as well as proactively moving products to higher ground or secure storage where feasible. The heavy rain and storm surge triggered a levee breach, which led to water permeating the site. The bridges accessing the site have also been damaged.
 
“Our hearts and thoughts are with all those affected by Hurricane Helene,” said José (Joe) E. Almeida, chair, president and chief executive officer at Baxter. “The safety of our employees, their families, and the communities in which we operate remains our utmost concern, and we are committed to helping ensure a reliable supply of products to patients. Remediation efforts are already underway, and we will spare no resource — human or financial — to resume production and help ensure patients and providers have the products they need.”
 
The Baxter International Foundation has committed $1.5 million in donations to its humanitarian aid partners to help address recovery needs, including allocating additional funds to its Employee Disaster Relief Fund, and is matching employee donations $2:$1 to relief efforts.
 
Baxter is communicating with its customers about the actions the company is taking to minimize potential disruptions. These include actively managing inventory and implementing a protective allocation process by product line to help support supply continuity and equitable product distribution. The company will leverage Baxter’s global manufacturing network to help mitigate potential supply impact as it continues efforts to fully restore North Cove’s manufacturing operations.