A new wound care center that is scheduled to begin accepting patients this winter in the Family Care Center will use the latest evidence-based practices to help patients who suffer from slow-healing wounds recover more quickly with fewer complications.

The Center is a partnership of Lincoln County Healthcare and Healogics, a national wound-care provider that is also involved in the research of wound care. It will feature physician-led teams that specialize in the treatment of difficult-to-heal wounds that affect people with diabetes, poor circulation and many other chronic conditions.

Slow healing wounds due to poor circulation, nerve damage or fragile skin are a large and growing problem, affecting an estimated 6.5 million people and costing about $25 billion a year in America, according to a National Center for Biotechnology study. People with diabetes are at a particularly high risk of complications due to slow-healing wounds.

By offering patients the latest evidence-based techniques and technology, Christine Anderson, RN, Lincoln County Healthcare Director of Hospital Nursing, said the new wound center will help patients recover faster and avoid the setbacks that can lead to more intensive, hospital-based treatment.

“Everything will be standardized and consistent and every member of the team will receive specialized training in wound care,” Anderson said.

Healogic works with about 500 hospitals nationwide. It trains providers on the latest technology, including techniques to increase circulation to a wound and the use of tissue substitutes that can serve to protect the wound and provide a base for new skin cells.

By using a specialized staff and the latest techniques, Cindy Wade, RN, Lincoln County Healthcare Senior Vice President of Hospital Operations, said the new center should be able to speed up the healing time for some types of wounds dramatically.

“It is improved quality of life. If you can heal the wound quicker, people are going to get back to their normal routines faster,” Wade said.

Surgeon Mark Mainella, DO, who will be the Medical Director of the new facility, said the new wound center will be a significant step forward.

“It is exciting in that you are really giving that group of patients the time they need in an atmosphere in which the single focus is to heal their wound,” Mainella said.

Mainella said that the care patients receive currently for a wound may vary widely depending on where they receive the care. They may receive one type of treatment at a hospital, for example, but a different type of treatment at the office of their primary care provider after discharge.

Mainella said he believes a new facility that offers state-of-the-art care from specialized providers will be a significant improvement.