MDNews - Mid Hudson

COVER FEATURE The Art of Healing: Comprehensive Care at the Center for Wound Healing and Hyperbaric Medicine at Saint Francis Hospital CORONARY ARTERY DISEASE, DIABETES AND OBESITY SHARE MANY LINKS, ONE BEING THEIR SUBSTANTIAL PREVALENCE AMONG THE AMERICAN POPULATION — ROUGHLY 16 MILLION, 26 MILLION AND 107 MILLION PEOPLE, RESPECTIVELY. THESE CONDITIONS ALSO CONTRIBUTE TO AN INCREASED RISK OF DEVELOPING A SLOW OR NONHEALING WOUND. AT SAINT FRANCIS HOSPITAL, THE CENTER FOR WOUND HEALING ADDRESSES THESE COMPLEX CASES BY CARING FOR PATIENTS WITH WOUNDS AND THE UNDERLYING CHRONIC CONDITION. T HE CENTER FOR Wound Healing, which opened in 2005, marked a turning point for specialty wound care in the Hudson Valley. In partnering with The Center for Wound Healing, Inc., Saint Francis Hospital became the first provider in the area to offer a dedicated and comprehensive program for wound care and hyperbaric medicine and continues to treat burns; tissue damage from the late effects of radiation; diabetic, pressure and venous ulcers; postsurgical wounds; and any wound that is slow or fails to heal. The facility contains several wound care consultation and treatment rooms and two hyperbaric chambers, and is home to a nationally certified diabetes education program, a devoted staff of physicians trained in various disci- plines and wound care-certified nurses. Located in Saint Francis Hospital, the Center for Wound Healing will move into a new space just off the lobby of the Atrium Building to ensure greater patient accessibility and facilitate the expansion of services. Focused Care From the Start A patient can be referred to the Center for Wound Healing by a primary care physician, a specialist, a family member or through self-referral. Initial contact is an avenue for both scheduling the appointment and creating a preliminary Scott Francis, M.S., P.T., Program Director of the Center for Wound Healing at Saint Francis Hospital, with a patient in one of the hyperbaric oxygen chambers

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