Gavin Newsom and the Legislature to speed up movement of medical goods. Prime Healthcare has been able to shift supplies as needed between its hospitals, but has joined other health systems and the California Chamber of Commerce in requesting help from Gov. “With increased patient volume and supply logistic issues, we are concerned with the constraints placed on supply availability,” said Amy Ritzel, a spokesperson for Prime Healthcare, which operates hospitals throughout the state. Specimen collection tubes also have been in short supply since the summer.Ĭompounding the issue, hospitals, which are admitting above-average numbers of patients who delayed care during the pandemic, are trying to stay ahead of any potential winter COVID-19 surge. In September, the FDA announced nationwide shortages of ventilators. Now, specialized equipment like walkers, canes, wheelchairs, crutches, syringes, needles, catheters, surgical gloves, feeding tubes and suction canisters are increasingly hard to come by.
“The shipping backlog prevented them from getting into the country, much less getting to patients that need them.” “We couldn’t keep oxygen concentrators on the wall, couldn’t keep them in inventory,” said Terry Racciato, who owns a durable medical equipment supply company in San Diego. Last winter, hospitals desperate for bed space were sending less-severe COVID-19 patients home on supplemental oxygen. Demand for personal protective equipment and respirators skyrocketed globally at the same time that overseas manufacturers temporarily closed to reduce the spread of COVID-19 among workers. Port gridlock is the latest chapter in a long saga of medical supply chain disruptions during the pandemic. In addition, some medical device suppliers are considering cutting off sales to patients on Medi-Cal, the state’s insurance for low-income people, as they look for ways to reduce costs. Although the Hospital Association of Southern California says no one has reported any acute shortages yet, administrators are concerned about the delayed shipments that are anchored off the coast.Įxperts say the shortages and inflation will drive health care costs up, increasing insurance premiums. But, while many people are worrying about delayed Christmas gifts, many Californians are grappling with shortages of lifesaving medical supplies.Ĭalifornia hospitals say medical supplies are more difficult to acquire now or are taking much longer to be delivered. has triggered shortages of everything from computer chips to paper products to kitchen appliances, and drawn the attention of President Joe Biden. The logjam at the ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach - which handle 40 percent of all waterbound imports to the U.S. With upwards of 80 container ships languishing off the coast of Southern California, patients and medical suppliers are worried that stories like Genung’s will become increasingly common.
“It’s an ongoing saga of delayed shipments,” said Myah Genung, Henry’s mother, who lives in Los Angeles with her husband Dillon and son. His tracheostomy tube is supposed to be replaced weekly, but the Genung family has been unable to get new tracheostomy tubes since September.
Henry Genung was born with CLAPO syndrome, which causes malformations of the lymph nodes and obstructs his breathing. Their medical supplier and doctor’s office told them they don’t know how soon new supplies will be available. Instead, Henry’s parents have resorted to soaking his used tubes in hydrogen peroxide and boiling them for five minutes. Born with a rare genetic mutation that blocked his upper airway, Henry, who is now 18 months old, will need the tube for several more years.įor three months, Henry hasn’t had a new rubber tracheostomy tube even though doctors recommend that they be replaced weekly to reduce the risk of infection. When Henry Genung was four months old, doctors cut a hole in his windpipe and inserted a tube to help him breathe.