HSHS St. Anthony's Works to Raise Awareness of Chronic Wounds

HSHS St. Anthony’s Memorial Hospital’s Wound Healing Center, a member of the Healogics network, is helping raise awareness of the risks of chronic wounds during Wound Care Awareness Month. With the support of Healogics, the nation’s leading provider of advanced wound care, Wound Healing Center staff are focusing on educating the underserved chronic wound population about the importance of early detection and treatment of chronic wounds.

Ashley Dillingham, director of St. Anthony’s Wound Healing Center, shared, “Millions of people are living with non-healing wounds in the United States and sadly the numbers continue to grow with unrealized risks. We are using this month to educate physicians, patients and the general public about the prevalence of chronic wounds and the advanced wound care solutions available.” The Wound Healing Center offers several advanced therapies to patients suffering from chronic wounds.

The incidence of chronic wounds is rising due to an aging population and increasing rates of disease. People living with chronic wounds often have multiple medical issues that can make healing their wounds extremely challenging. For example, a person living with diabetes may also have cardiac disease, peripheral vascular disease and kidney disease that could all cause a delay in healing. A non-healing wound could lead to severe complications such as infection which could ultimately result in an amputation or even loss of life.

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

Visit www.woundcareawareness.com to learn more about wound care awareness and hear from patients about how wound healing changed their lives. More information about St. Anthony’s award-winning Wound Healing Center can be found at the hospital’s web site at hshs.org/st-anthonys/services/wound-care.