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Some Mich. hospitals take precautions for ongoing shortage of saline bags

A doctor with a stethoscope on a young boys naked chest (he's wearing pants though)
user Laura4Smith
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Backers of state funding for physician training say Michigan faces a shortage of 20,000 doctors in the next decade.

Some hospitals in Michigan have had to change how they do things because of a nationwide shortage of bags of saline.

Bronson healthcare system includes four hospitals in southwest Michigan. Bronson spokesperson Carolyn Wyllie says they've adjusted how they prepare IV products -- but didn't have any further details.

Hurricane Maria made the IV bag shortage worse when it hit Puerto Rico. A company that manufactures saline bags there was knocked offline.

Wyllie said Bronson hasn’t had to cancel any surgeries, and in fact patient care hadn’t been affected by the nationwide shortage at all.

Since Hurricane Maria, The FDA has taken steps to increase the supply of saline bags nationally. 

Tyler Scott is the weekend afternoon host at Michigan Public, though you can often hear him filling in at other times during the week. Tyler started in radio at age 18, as a board operator at WMLM 1520AM in Alma, Michigan, where he later became host of The Morning Show.
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