Southcoast Health cut the ribbon, on May 7, 2018, on its second Wound Care Center, which will bring advanced, specialized care for acute and chronic wounds to St. Luke’s Hospital.

This Wound Care Center will bring the same high standard of wound care that is already available at Charlton Memorial Hospital, in Fall River, where the Southcoast Health Center for Wound Care and Hyperbaric Medicine opened its first location in 2010.

Southcoast Health decided to open a second outpatient location because of the high demand for advanced care for chronic wounds caused by diabetes, venous insufficiency, radiation treatment and other conditions. Often, patients come to the Wound Care Center after years of failed treatment by standard measures.

A team of specialty physicians, nurses and one nurse practitioner will staff the new Wound Care Center. All staff are clinical experts in wound care and hyperbaric medicine.

“This new clinic demonstrates, once again, Southcoast Health’s commitment to the wellness of the communities we serve,” said Keith Hovan, President and CEO of Southcoast Health. “Chronic wounds can be lead to loss of function and a decreased quality of life. Wounds are often difficult to treat as they refuse to respond to repeated courses of antibiotics and other traditional treatment options.”

The Southcoast Health Wound Care Center is affiliated with Healogics Inc., which is the nation’s largest provider of advanced wound care with nearly 800 partners nationwide. Healogics maintains the largest database of wounds in the world and serves as a resource for wound care research. Southcoast Health contributes to the database with its own patient population and experience, helping to advance the industry in understanding optimum wound treatment and best practices.

Last month, Healogics recognized the Wound Care Center at Charlton Memorial as a Center of Excellence. To be eligible for the award, the Center had to achieve outstanding clinical outcomes for a minimum of two consecutive years, including a patient satisfaction score higher than 92 percent, a wound healing rate of at least 91 percent in less than 30 median days to heal. “The Wound Care Center strives to deliver quality care that addresses the wound healing process. Last year, we were able to successfully achieve a median of 28 days,” said Cheryl Thompson, RN, program director of the Southcoast Health Wound Care Center.

“We take great pride in this achievement,” said Dr. Robert Sandfort, medical director of the new Southcoast Health Wound Care Center at St.Luke’s. “It is our privilege to bring advanced, specialized wound care to many hundreds of patients every year. The St. Luke’s center will work seamlessly with the Charlton Memorial center, to ensure that patients receive the same level of care no matter which site they visit.”

The Southcoast Health Wound Care Center offers the latest treatments and dressings, such as negative pressure dressings that remove drainage from the wound, specialty products, compression therapy for lower leg, ulcers, and full contact casting that eases pressure on diabetic foot ulcers. In addition, hyperbaric oxygen treatment is available at Charlton Memorial for all eligible Wound Care Center patients. The single person pressurized chamber delivers 100 percent oxygen to reduce swelling and promote healing.

“We are so proud of the quality of care we provide at Southcoast Health and the fact that we continue to expand that care based on a single focus — serving the needs of our patients with the very best care, close to home,” said Jason Rua, chairman of the Southcoast Health Board of Trustees.  “It is exciting to be part of an organization that is always driving for excellence and seeking new ways to serve its patients — whether it is in the area of cardiac care, urgent and emergency care, cancer care or maternity care.”