After Hurricane Helene hit Marion, N.C., Baxter International's dialysis plant was severely damaged, disrupting healthcare services. NCDOT is now rebuilding a permanent bridge to restore access, with Baxter working tirelessly to resume operations and support its employees and patients.
NCDOT photo
An aerial photo of the repaired bridge in Marion, N.C.
It has been about nine months since Hurricane Helene tore through western North Carolina, devastating the region with floodwaters that wiped out homes and damaged businesses.
In the McDowell County town of Marion, nestled in the foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains 36 mi. east of Asheville, one of the area's key employers was significantly impacted by the rain and storm surge from the hurricane rampage on Sept. 27, 2024.
Baxter International, a Deerfield, Ill.-based healthcare company, is the largest manufacturer of intravenous and peritoneal dialysis solutions in the United States, meaning healthcare groups and patients were critically impacted by the plant's closure due to the damage from Helene.
The company's 1.4 million-sq.-ft. North Cove facility, in the mountains north of Marion, suffered flooding severe enough to shut down the plant for several weeks before quickly beginning to get back up to speed in October when it restarted a key manufacturing line, WCNC-TV in Charlotte reported June 19, 2025.
Ten days after the hurricane passed, the first of two temporary bridges was erected, according to Baxter's website, with a second structure installed on Nov. 7, 2025.
A temporary access road also was established to enable deliveries and repairs.
Now, the North Carolina Department of Transportation (NCDOT) reported that another major milestone is in sight for Baxter.
On June 19, 2025, the agency posted on both Facebook and X that workers have started building a permanent bridge replacement over the North Fork Catawba River, adjacent to the Baxter site, which connects the plant to U.S. Highway 221.
NCDOT said that contract crews are working to have the permanent bridge built by Halloween, with one of the temporary bridges removed by Thanksgiving. The department also noted Baxter's importance in healthcare by mentioning the fact the company makes more than 60 percent of all IV fluids in the United States.
Temporary Bridges Helped Baxter to Quickly Resume Operations
The logistics facility's closure had hospitals and other healthcare groups across the country on edge, according to WCNC-TV. Baxter CEO José E. Almeida swore to spare no resource — human or financial — to resume production.
Indeed, with the temporary roads and bridges built, Baxter was quickly able to welcome its first 1,000 employees back to the facility on Oct. 14, 2024, and a week later, the company completed deep cleaning within its production rooms. As a result, its first high-throughput IV solutions manufacturing line was able to restart by the end of that month.
In December 2024, Baxter reported that some of its manufacturing lines were nearing pre-hurricane levels of production, roughly 85 percent of the plant's capacity. At the time, the company estimated that full pre-hurricane levels would be reached early in the first quarter of 2025.
In late January 2025, all manufacturing lines were restarted, and pre-hurricane production capacity was finally restored Feb. 17, 2025.
Among other measures, the company said it has worked with the federal Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to extend expiry dates for over 50 IV and irrigation products. Baxter also set up a temporary employee support center to help with immediate needs and was able to account for all of its 2,500-plus employees in McDowell County.
In addition, the manufacturer donated more than $4 million for hurricane relief.
"Supporting our employees in the impacted communities, bringing the North Cove facility back online and helping to ensure ongoing supply to patients were our top priorities," the healthcare company said in a fact sheet. "We invested more than 2.5 million hours in recovery efforts following Hurricane Helene."
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