Southeastern Wound Healing Center, an affiliate of UNC Health Southeastern and member of the Healogics network, is helping raise awareness of the risks of chronic wounds during the eighth annual Wound Care Awareness Week, June 7-11.
Healogics established Wound Care Awareness Week in 2014 to bring attention to the growing need for wound care and the nearly 7 million Americans currently living with non-healing wounds. Program directors across the nation will dedicate the entire week to educating physicians, patients and the general public about the chronic wound epidemic and the advanced wound care solutions are available. Southeastern Wound Healing Center offers advanced therapies to patients suffering from chronic wounds.
Kim Jean, 61, of Lumberton, is currently receiving hyperbaric oxygen, or HBO, therapy at Southeastern Wound Healing Center for the treatment of wounds on her feet which are the result of issues related to diabetic neuropathy, a condition where patients with diabetes experience numbness in their extremities, including the feet.
Jean’s foot-related issues resulted in surgery to remove a toe in June 2020. An additional injury to her foot caused Jean to have increased issues with wounds, but because she had to be hospitalized due to a COVID-19 diagnosis, Jean had to delay treatment for her foot condition.
After her battle with COVID-19, Jean was able to focus on needed treatment for her foot condition, for which she was facing possible amputation. Upon consulting with her primary care physician and surgeon who were both located out of town, she requested to receive her treatment at Southeastern Wound Healing Center, which is just minutes away from her home.
“I wish I had gone sooner,” said Jean. “If someone would have told me when I began treatment that I would have been healed to this level, I never would have believed them. ‘Absolutely amazing’ is all I can say about it. This is a great setting for people who may be in danger of losing a limb, toe or foot. There’s got to be a light at the end of the tunnel, and this office and the people in it have been my light. I go there and leave feeling wonderful.”
Jean has received five weeks of HBO therapy every weekday for two hours.
“It has been absolutely amazing the progress that I’ve seen,” added Jean. “I truly believe this wouldn’t have happened if it hadn’t been for not only the therapy but the people there.”
The incidence of chronic wounds is rising due to our aging population and increasing rates of diseases. A person with a wound has an average of three to four chronic conditions like diabetes, PAD, cardiovascular disease and COPD. If left untreated, chronic wounds can lead to diminished quality of life and possibly amputation of the affected limb. Even more alarmingly, 50 percent of people die within five years of amputation.
To support this underserved and growing population of people living with chronic wounds, Southeastern Wound Healing Center, in partnership with Healogics, offers an evidence-based, systematic approach to advanced wound care.
A patient’s individualized treatment plan may include specialized wound dressings, debridement, compression therapy, hyperbaric oxygen therapy, advanced cellular products and topical growth factors, edema management and/or non-invasive vascular assessment. These treatments are the result of a team approach between the center’s physicians, nurses and the referring physician. A treatment plan is developed and scheduled based on the patient’s needs. Once treatment is complete, the patient will return to their primary physician to continue routine care.
People with wounds that have not improved with traditional treatment methods may benefit from a visit to Southeastern Wound Healing Center. Visit www.woundcareawareness.com to learn more about Wound Care Awareness Week and hear from patients about how wound healing changed their lives. To learn more about services offered through Southeastern Wound Healing Center, which is located at 103 W. 27th St., Lumberton, call (910) 738-3836.
