NEW MEXICO (KRQE) – Hurricane Helene devastated areas along parts of the country's southeast coast in September and lasting effects have been felt all the way to New Mexico. Helene flooded a manufacturing plant in Western North Carolina that supplied hospitals from all around the country with IV fluid, creating a shortage affecting hospitals nationwide, including New Mexico. However, officials said that shortage is taking a positive turn. "The supply disruption is beginning to end,” said New Mexico Department of Health Patrick Allen. The New Mexico Department of Health has been working with local hospitals to ease the effects of halted production at Baxter, a saline manufacturer impacted by Hurricane Helene. ABQ artist holds live tattoo performance for ‘Sublime Hallucinations’ book launch "Fortunately, not all the health care providers in the state are supplied by Baxter, but some are, and those providers have been conserving their use of a variety of sailing products,” said Allen. A New Mexico hospital supplied by Baxter, Presbyterian Healthcare Services, said in a statement, in part, "In addition to other conservation measures, we made the decision to postpone a small number of elective surgical cases and procedures."         After weeks of conservation, the state said things are looking up. "We've been able to move supply around. Baxter has gotten most of its lines back up and running. The things that are in particularly short supplies, there's irrigation saline that's used for procedures that use that do a lot of washing things out while they're doing procedures. So, think knee and hip replacements," said Allen. Presbyterian credited UNMH and St. Vincent for sharing their supplies with their hospitals, but one family shared their "disheartening" experience of their 92-year-old father being denied IV fluid and how it made them question what the criteria were to receive it. "He couldn't keep fluids down, and he needed an IV, but they told us that there was an IV shortage, and that he couldn't have an IV because of the shortage, and they said they were saving it for only the most dire situations. But to us, it was fairly dire that he seemed like he needed an IV,” said David Kramer, the patient’s son. ‘Toxic Hall of Shame’: Dangerous plastics may be getting into your food at these major retailers, restaurants, study finds After the family advocated for the fluid, the hospital eventually allowed the IV, but their frustrations remained. "When you have your loved one in distress and needing care, you want them to get what they need, and it was pretty surprising that a large urban hospital didn't have IV fluid,” said Kramer. Presbyterian is encouraging patients and members to access care as usual and said emergency and critical surgeries will continue normally during this national supply shortage. Baxter said, in part, barring any unanticipated developments, they expect lines in the western North Carolina facility to be restarted by the end of the year but do not have a timeline on when production will return to pre-hurricane levels. To see more updates from Baxter, click here.