Sentara RMH Wound Healing Center helping raise awareness during Wound Care Awareness Month

HARRISONBURG, Va. (WHSV) - The Sentara RMH Wound Healing Center is helping raise awareness of the risks of chronic wounds during the tenth annual Wound Care Awareness Month. Sentara RMH says the initiative focuses on educating the underserved chronic wound population about the importance of early detection and treatment of chronic wounds.

“Anytime you have an injury, and it breaks the skin and causes damage, it’s a wound,” says Dr. Nina Smith, medical director of the Sentara RMH Wound Healing Center. “Whether it’s acute and heals itself or it won’t heal and becomes chronic.”

Nearly seven million Americans are living with a chronic wound. Untreated or improperly treated chronic wounds can lead to diminished quality of life and possibly amputation of the affected limb. Wounds that do not heal at two to four weeks are considered complex. When a wound does not respond to conventional treatment, Dr. Smith says the surrounding tissue can develop cellulitis, the underlying bone may become infected, which can lead to osteomyelitis. At that point, advanced medical wound care is required.

The incidence of chronic wounds is rising due to our 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.

Wound care experts across the nation are dedicating the entire month to educating physicians, patients, and the general public about the prevalence of chronic wounds and the advanced wound care solutions available.

The Sentara RMH Wound Healing Center offers highly specialized wound care to patients suffering from diabetic foot ulcers, pressure ulcers, infections and other chronic wounds which have not healed in a reasonable amount of time. Advanced wound care modalities provided at the Wound Healing Center include negative pressure wound therapy, total contact casting, bioengineered tissues, biosynthetic dressings and growth factor therapies.

The Center also offers hyperbaric oxygen therapy, which works by surrounding the patient with 100 percent oxygen under pressure, to help progress the healing of the wound.

To schedule an appointment at the Sentara RMH Wound Healing Center, call 540-689-2106 or visit Sentara.com and search for “Wound Healing Center.”