WEEK OF NOVEMBER 28, 2024
VOLUME 61 | ISSUE 17
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SPECIAL HOMETOWN HOLIDAYS EDITION
HAPPY THANKSGIVING From the Northglenn-Thornton Sentinel
Hospitals rationing intravenous fluids National shortage in hurricane’s wake may last for months BY JACKIE FORTIÉR KFF HEALTH NEWS
A member of Eastlake’s flock of turkeys peers through a bush Nov. 19.
Bowling! Bowling! Batting!” they yell out. The main positions are batting (self-explanatory), bowling (pitching the ball), and fielding (like outfield), though none of these boys are much like that last one except eighth-grader Modasir, the mature, easy-going captain who radiates confidence. “Everything is my favorite, batting, bowling, fielding, everything,” he said. “I just love this game. Cricket makes me feel proud and happy in this school.”
Hospitals around the country are conserving critical intravenous fluid supplies to cope with a shortage that may last months. Some hospital administrators say they are changing how they think about IV fluid hydration altogether. Hurricane Helene, which hit North Carolina in September, wrecked a Baxter International facility that produces 60% of the IV fluids used in the U.S., according to the American Hospital Association. The company was forced to stop production and is rationing its products. In an update posted Nov. 7, Baxter said its North Cove facility had resumed producing some IV fluids. In an email to KFF Health News, the company wrote that customers will be able to order normal quantities of “certain IV solutions products” by the end of the year, but there is no timeline for when the North Cove facility will be back to prehurricane production levels. Meanwhile, hospitals are facing seasonal strains on their already limited IV fluid resources, said Sam Elgawly, chief of resource stewardship at Inova, a health system in the Washington, D.C., area. “We’ve been very aggressive in our conservation measures,” Elgawly said, stressing that he does not believe patient care has been compromised. He told KFF Health News that across the system IV fluid usage has dropped 55% since early October. Elgawly called the shortage a crisis that he expects to have to continue managing for some time. “We are going to operate under the assumption that this is going to be the way it is through the end of 2024 and have adopted our demand/conservation measures accordingly,” he said. At the end of the calendar year, many patients with insurance hurry to schedule surgical procedures before their deductibles reset in January. Elgawly is eyeing that typical surgical rush and the impending peak of respiratory virus season as he tries to stockpile IV fluid bags. Hospitals such as Inova’s are using
SEE CRICKET, P17
SEE SHORTAGE, P31
PHOTO BY SCOTT TAYLOR
Thornton students from Afghanistan nurture love of cricket BY JENNY BRUNDIN CPR NEWS
Forget LeBron James or Travis Kelce. Rahmanullah Gurbaz and Rashid Khan are where it’s at for Mudasir, a sixth-grader at Thornton Middle School. The two superstars play on Afghanistan’s national cricket team. Mudasir and his friends watch as many of their matches as they can. But today is Tuesday, Mudasir’s favorite day of the week. It’s the day he and his friends get to show off their cricket skills.
“I come here to play cricket and work hard to go to the games and win the games,” he said. When the final bell rings, he and the other boys race giddy with joy onto the playground into the November chill. They set up the wickets, stumps and bails. And they play their hearts out. When you’re more than 7,000 miles away from where you spent most of your childhood, there’s nothing like Tuesday after school. It’s practice time for the school’s cricket club. All 18 boys are from Afghanistan where
VOICES: PAGE 10 | CULTURE: PAGE 12 | BRIEFS: PAGE 16
cricket is the most popular sport in the country. In fact, cricket is the second most popular sport in the world. It’s set to debut in the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics. These boys are part of an effort to bring the sport to more Colorado youth. “This game is for every country and (we hope) more will come to play cricket,” said Rashid, 13. Before I watch, I’ve got to get a few things under my belt. “What’s your favorite position?” I ask. “Batting! Batting! Batting!
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