Spalding Regional Medical Center is scheduled to open a Wound Healing Center early January 2008. The new outpatient center will be located at 528 South 8th Street in Griffin, near Spalding Regional Medical Center.

Staffed by a variety of physician specialists and trained medical professionals, the center will offer advanced treatment for those suffering from diabetic foot ulcers, pressure ulcers, infections, compromised skin grafts and flaps, and wounds that haven’t healed within 30 days.

It is estimated that more than six million people in the U.S. suffer from chronic, non-healing wounds. People who are over age 65 have a higher incidence of these wounds. In addition, chronic and non-healing wounds are also more prevalent among people who have diabetes and heart disease. Left untreated, these types of wounds can disrupt quality of life, health complications and in some cases, lead to amputation.

“The rise of diabetes and heart disease in the U.S. along with the growth in population of Americans over the age of 65 has led to an increased need for comprehensive wound care,” says Lisa Barfield, Program Director for Spalding Regional’s Wound Healing Center. “Our local community is no exception to these national trends. We’re pleased to provide the residents in our community the opportunity to get quality and comprehensive wound care, right in their own neighborhood.”  

One of the treatments that will be offered at the center is hyperbaric oxygen therapy. This therapy can also be used to treat patients suffering from uncommon ailments such as cyanide poisoning, gangrene, carbon dioxide poisoning, brown recluse spider bites and the “bends,” or decompression sickness. In addition to hyperbaric oxygen therapy, the center’s staff and physicians will treat wounds using vascular studies, tissue culturing and pathology, revascularization, skin grafting, and clinical or surgical debridement (the removal of dead or damaged tissue).

The Wound Healing Center at Spalding Regional Medical Center is scheduled to open January 7, 2008, and the hyperbaric oxygen chambers are scheduled to be delivered and installed later in the month.