Advanced Wound Care
Comes to Southcoast
About 7 million Americans have wounds that won't heal -- a problem that in the most serious cases can lead to amputation. Southcoast Hospitals is addressing the problem by opening a comprehensive wound program at Charlton Memorial Hospital in Fall River.
"This program will provide a multidisciplinary approach to managing complex wounds and state-of-the-art hyperbaric oxygen therapy (HBOT) to further enhance the services we offer," said Keith A. Hovan, President and CEO of Southcoast Hospitals Group.
Partnering with Diversified Clinical Services, the world's largest wound care management company, Southcoast plans to open the Southcoast Wound Care Center in February. Services will be available to patients throughout the entire South Coast region.
The Wound Care Center's offerings will include:
- Diagnosis.
- Treatment.
- Nutrition.
- Pain management.
- Diabetes care.
- HBOT, a treatment that uses oxygen to aid healing.
Wound problems are most common in older adults and those with diabetes. Nonhealing wounds are often connected to poor circulation, obesity and immobility. Studies have shown that specialized wound care can speed up healing, lower amputation rates and help keep patients out of the hospital.
The Wound Care Center will fight wound problems with a variety of treatments, such as medicines, removal of damaged tissue, dressings and support services. Collaboration with patients' primary care doctors and ongoing patient education will also be key elements of the program.
This new center is especially important for the region. South Coast has high hospitalization rates for people with diabetes, heart and kidney disease, and obesity -- all associated with poor circulation. In fact, Fall River has the highest mortality rate for diabetes in Massachusetts.
"Proper medical care emphasizes not only good management of the primary disease," said Martin Fogle, MD, Director of Endovascular Services at Charlton Memorial Hospital, "it also aims to prevent and treat the associated complications."
