Published in cooperation between Healdsburg Hospital and The Healdsburg Tribune
When you have a wound, waiting for it to heal can feel endless. While most wounds heal right on schedule, some just don’t. If this happens, you can experience prolonged pain, disability and emotional distress. In a worst-case scenario, you may even develop sepsis or require an amputation. Fortunately, if you have a wound that doesn’t heal within 30 days, you can receive specialized care that speeds healing in Healdsburg.
“Our individualized approach to evaluating, treating, educating and supporting patients has resulted in a healing rate of 97 percent in an average of 31 days, as compared with the national average of 65 days,” says Belinda Uribe, RN, nursing manager at Healdsburg Hospital’s wound care clinic. “We have a team of specialized surgeons, podiatrists, nurses and others who work with patients weekly to speed healing, relieve pain and restore proper movement and functioning to the affected body part. Sometimes we are the last stop between healing and losing a limb.”
Founded in 2010, Healdsburg Hospital’s wound care clinic cares for 4,000+ patients annually. “We treat people of all ages, but the majority are 60 and older and have underlying conditions that prolong healing, particularly diabetes,” Uribe says. Diabetic and pressure ulcers, venous leg ulcers, burns and wounds from surgery, trauma or lymphedema are all common. “First we assess the wound and identify underlying diseases or other conditions that are slowing the healing process,” Uribe says. “Then we treat it using advanced dressings, bioengineered skin substitutes and other evidence-based methods.”
Sonoma County’s Only Advanced Hyperbaric Chamber
Some people, including those who have undergone radiation therapy, may benefit from treatment in the hospital’s hyperbaric chamber. In fact, Healdsburg Hospital is the only facility in Sonoma County to offer advanced hyperbaric healing. “You breathe 100 percent oxygen inside a pressurized chamber, which stimulates circulation and allows the body’s natural wound-healing mechanisms to function more efficiently,” Uribe explains. “It allows healing from the inside out, and it’s also effective in treating bone and other infections, diabetic foot ulcers and carbon monoxide poisoning.”
Besides the physical toll, you can understandably feel anxious, embarrassed and hopeless if you have a wound that won’t heal. Healdsburg Hospital’s care team will work with you to determine your most pressing psychological and emotional concerns and help alleviate them. “Most of our patients who were extremely nervous to start are sad when it’s time to be discharged from our care,” Uribe says. “We become somewhat of an extension of their family.”
To make an appointment at the wound care clinic (1540 Healdsburg Avenue), call 707-473-4400, ext. 3
