Another Big Year of Honors for Hospital Wound Healing Center

(THE TEAM AT ST. ANTHONY'S MEMORIAL HOSPITAL'S WOUND HEALING CENTER: Front row, seated, left to right: Mike Janis, executive director of Outpatient and Ancillary Services; Jeremiah Roberts, RN, CHT; Core Hess, APRN; and Dr. Jason McAllaster. Back row, standing, left to right: Sarah Williams, CNA, FOC; Dr. Thomas Heischmidt; Pam Westfall, front office coordinator; Tory Buhnerkempe, RN, CWCA; Gena Jones, RN; Cindy Einhorn, RN; Jennifer Lohman, LPN; Dr. Jeff Brummer, medical director of the Wound Healing Center; Patsy Lilly, RN, CWCA, clinical coordinator; and Mary Huffman, director of the Wound Healing Center)

HSHS St. Anthony’s Memorial Hospital’s Wound Healing Center has changed the lives of many people in the region by bringing healing and allowing people to return to their active lives.

The Wound Healing Center has once again been recognized nationally with two awards for their clinical excellence and exceptional patient satisfaction. The awards were presented by Healogics, nation's largest provider of advanced wound care services.

The Wound Healing Center team has been presented the prestigious Robert A. Warriner III, M.D., Center of Excellence award for the eighth year in a row. St. Anthony’s Wound Healing Center opened in 2010, and has won this award from Healogics since they first became eligible, one of only four centers nationwide to accomplish that feat.

St. Anthony’s Wound Healing Center has achieved patient satisfaction rates higher than 92 percent and a healing rate of at least 91 percent in less than 30 median days to heal, for a minimum of two consecutive years. Out of 413 eligible Healogics Centers, 342 were honored with this award. The award is named for Dr. Robert A. Warriner III, a pioneer in wound care and the former Chief Medical Officer for Healogics.

By meeting these high quality standards, St. Anthony’s Wound Healing Center also received the “Center of Distinction” Award, the ninth year in a row they have achieved this milestone. The Center achieved outstanding clinical outcomes for twelve consecutive months for patient satisfaction, wound healing rate and other quality standards. 

Dr. Jeff Brummer, medical director of St. Anthony’s Wound Healing Center, expressed his appreciation for the Center winning this award repeatedly over the last number of years. “It takes a certain level of dedication, commitment and talent to achieve this level of exceptional care year after year, which is a reflection on the physicians and staff that are associated with St. Anthony’s Wound Healing Center,” Dr. Brummer said. “It just demonstrates that when people are passionate about their health care professions, enjoy working together, and combine advanced training with compassionate care, it shows.”

Mary Huffman, BSN, MSM, director of the Wound Healing Center, shared, “I am happy to be a part of the HSHS St. Anthony’s Wound Healing Center. Each patient here is treated with compassionate and professional care. Chronic wounds can affect our patients and their families in so many ways. It is rewarding to help them improve the quality of their lives. Our exceptional patient engagement and healing rates demonstrate the high quality care that is provided,” she explained. “We are honored to be recognized again by receiving the Center of Distinction and Center of Excellence awards, but it is truly about serving those who are in need of our specialized care at the HSHS St. Anthony’s Wound Healing Center.” 

HSHS St. Anthony’s Wound Healing Center is a member of the Healogics network of nearly 700 Wound Care Centers®, with access to benchmarking data and proven experience treating approximately 2.5 million chronic wounds. St. Anthony’s Wound Healing Center offers highly specialized wound care to patients suffering from diabetic ulcers, pressure ulcers, infections and other chronic wounds which have not healed in a reasonable amount of time. Leading edge treatments at the Wound Healing Center include negative pressure wound therapy, total contact casting, bio-engineered tissues, biosynthetic dressings and growth factor therapies. St. Anthony’s Wound Healing Center also offers hyperbaric oxygen therapy, which works by surrounding the patient with 100 percent oxygen to help progress the healing of the wound.

The Wound Healing Center cares for people that have wounds that have not begun to heal in two weeks or have not completely healed in six weeks.  Patients can be referred by their family doctors or can refer themselves by calling St. Anthony’s Wound Healing Center to make an appointment at 217-347-3565.

For more information about HSHS St. Anthony’s Wound Healing Center, visit the hospital’s web site at stanthonyshospital.org. HSHS St. Anthony’s Memorial Hospital is part of the Southern Illinois Division of Hospital Sisters Health System.