Patients suffering from pressure ulcers, diabetic wounds, and chronic surgical wounds often have to deal with the ongoing struggle of the healing process. At Provena Saint Joseph Medical Center, there are new, state-of-the-art treatments and facilities available now for these special patients to ensure safe and proper healing.

"We are proud to announce the addition of a Wound Care Center to our Madison Medical Plaza," says Sharon Baranoski, Director of Nursing, Acute Care. "This unit is dedicated solely to wound care, and offers advanced healing opportunities for our wound patients."

The Provena Center for Wound Care and Hyperbaric Medicine is the only comprehensive physician and nurse managed wound care center in the area, and provides a holistic approach and individualized treatment plans that radically speed your healing process. An open house will be held on January 11 from 4-7 p.m. at 301 North Madison Street, Suite 310 for the community.

The Provena Center for Wound and Hyperbaric Medicine takes a different approach -- treating the complete person, which is a more effective method than simply concentrating on the wound. To treat the whole person, we offer nutritional assessment, diabetic education, pain management, patient and caregiver counseling and special needs for pressure relief including beds, seat cushions and footwear. If you have wounds that have not started to heal within two weeks, or completely healed within six weeks, ask your physician for a referral and we will work with them to treat the following wounds:

• Neuropathic Ulcers
• Ischemic Ulcers
• Venous Insufficiency
• Traumatic Wounds
• Surgical Wounds
• Vasculitis
• Burns
• Other Chronic Non-Healing Wounds

Hyperbaric Oxygen treatment is a powerful therapy that will be offered at the center for certain cases. It works by placing the patient in a pressurized chamber and having them breathe 100% oxygen. While breathing oxygen, the patient's blood plasma becomes saturated carrying 15 to 20 times the normal amount of oxygen to the body's tissues. The ultimate result is that the body's natural wound-healing mechanisms, which are oxygen dependent, are able to function more efficiently.

We use a nationally recognized approach with the latest clinical treatments including:
Debridement

• Compression Therapy
• Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy
• Prescriptive Growth Factors
• Bio-engineered Skin Grafting
• Edema management
• Non-invasive vascular assessment

If you are in need of wound care, please speak with your physician for a referral. For more information,  contact Lisa Reil, Program Director at (815) 773-7737.