Thu, Apr 21, 2022 at 05:00 AM

Marshall Wound Center earns fifth ‘Center of Excellence’ award

A tradition of always putting quality healthcare first has earned the Marshall Wound Healing Center an excellence award for 2021. This marks the fifth year the center has earned the distinction.

The 2021 Healogics Robert A. Warriner III Clinical Excellence Award is given to centers that score in the top 10 percent of eligible Wound Care Centers for the 2021 calendar year.

“I am very proud of our team,” said Program Director Sabrina Cassels. “Their commitment to providing excellent care is reflected in the award. From our front office coordinator to the discharge nurse, everyone does their very best to help the individual patient towards healing and getting back to their normal life.”

Healogics, which manages the Marshall Wound Healing Center and 600 other outpatient centers in the U.S., stated the awards demonstrate the continued and consistent commitment to excellence and a focus on creating an exceptional patient experience. The award is named for Dr. Robert A. Warriner III, a pioneer in wound care and the former chief medical officer for Healogics.

“We take great pride in recognizing the outstanding achievements of our employees at our Wound Care Centers.”

Marshall Wound Healing Center earned the Healogics Center of Excellence distinction in 2015, 2016, 2017 and 2018. It received the Center of Distinction Award in 2019 and 2020.

Each year, about 80,000 adults with diabetes undergo a leg or foot amputation due to a non-healing wound, most of which started with an ulcer. Treating these ulcers early and with the most appropriate wound healing management is key to avoiding amputation.

The pandemic exacerbated the problem, increasing the rate of amputations by 50 percent.

“Healing can’t wait,” Cassels said. “To us, non-healing wounds are just wounds that haven’t healed yet but will, and that is our expertise.”

A poor decision made by many with a wound is to try to heal it themselves and wait too long to get help. The longer the wound goes untreated, the more likely it is to result in amputation. Any foot wound on a person with diabetes should be assessed by a physician as soon as possible.

Hyperbaric oxygen therapy program (HBO) is one of several effective healing options. HBO therapy is a highly effective, safe treatment during which 100 percent oxygen is inhaled by a patient in a pressurized chamber to increase oxygen flow to body tissue.

Many types of wounds can be treated at Marshall Wound Healing Center including:

• Brown Recluse spider bites
• Chronic Osteomyelitis or inflammation of bone or bone marrow
• Crush injuries
• Diabetic wounds
• First & second degree burns
• Gangrene
• General problem wounds
• Non-healing incisions
• Pressure ulcers
• Radionecrosis - a side effect of radiation therapy
• Trauma wounds
• Wounds due to poor circulation

The Marshall Wound Healing Center treats patients five days a week. Patients are required to come in weekly, and the goal is to heal wounds within 14 weeks.

When they finally get to the point that a wound is well, patients ring a ‘Heal bell,’ which is an emotional celebration for everyone including the staff.

Eight physicians treat patients at the Marshall Wound Healing Center:

• Dr. Donald Martin
• Dr. M. Wayne Peters
• Dr. Stephen Britt
• Dr. Alan Calhoun
• Dr. Alex Nixon
• Dr. John Groves
• Dr. Jessica Sparks
• Dr. Robson Araujo

Patients do not need a physician referral to be treated at Marshall Wound Healing Center, and most insurance covers wound treatment. Call the center at (256)894.6976 to discuss your particular issue. Most callers are asked to come in for an evaluation.