As the "tridemic" of flu, COVID-19, and respiratory syncytial virus continues, pediatric hospitals are running into a new problem: a shortage of medical-grade cribs, CNN reported Dec. 5.
Grand Rapids and Southfield, Mich.-based Corewell Health ordered more than 50 cribs and have brought out both specialized and non-specialized cribs from storage to meet the demand of patients, hospital officials told CNN.
They aren't the only ones struggling to meet demand.
"These shortages vary from items being on backorder with no estimated shipping date to product discontinuation without notice. The reasons include transportation issues and labor shortages," Cynthia Zheng, director of pharmacy operations and support services at Wilmington-based Nemours Children's Health Delaware Valley, said in the report. "At Nemours Children's Health, these supply challenges are magnified due to pediatric populations needing more specialized equipment to accommodate different stages of growth. In addition, the high volumes as a result of an early spike in RSV have only put more strain on an already stressed system."
Ventilators are also in high demand due to the RSV surge. CNN reported that the American Hospital Association said it received its first non-COVID-19-related request to the dynamic ventilator reserve since its launch in April 2020.