South Jersey Health System Makes Own Hand Sanitizer Amid Shortage

Amidst a national shortage of hand sanitizer, Inspira Health is improvising. The health system’s pharmacy team is making its own hand sanitizer for use in its medical facilities, Inspira announced.

The move is necessary amid a shortage of hand sanitizer due to the outbreak of new coronavirus. The pharmacy team was granted temporary permission by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to do so, Inspira said.

“Exploring innovative solutions and new methods are core tenets of Inspira Health’s culture,” Inspira Health President and CEO John DiAngelo said. “I am immensely proud of how swiftly and efficiently our pharmacy teams have been able to produce and supply hand sanitizer for our organization in the midst of this unprecedented emergency. Initiatives like this are of utmost importance because they support the safety of our patients, staff and physicians, across our network.”

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The teams are making alcohol-based hand sanitizer, which can be dangerous and members of the general public shouldn’t try it, Inspira said. All Inspira Health employees are following proper safety protocols, including wearing personal protective equipment. They use a refractometer to ensure the alcohol content meets FDA guidelines for hand sanitizer.

Hand sanitizer has become an almost indispensable component of hand hygiene in health care facilities and plays a critical role in keeping patients and staff safe, Inspira said.

A nurse working a 12-hour shift will likely need to clean her hands more than 100 times, according to Inspira. With the supply of commercially produced hand sanitizer very limited, Inspira Health is targeting to produce 50 percent, or more, of the hand sanitizer used across the health system.

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