“Ring this Bell three times well
Its toll to clearly say,
My treatment’s done
This course is run
And I am on my way”
These are remarkable words used to celebrate the goals of healing. In July, the Wound and Hyperbaric Healing Center celebrated our 1-Year Anniversary of opening. We hosted a community baseball-themed event to celebrate our patients, families and their successes in our wound center.
Our patients have come to us from all different walks of life, yet all sharing the common goal of healing their wound. Over the past year, we were able to learn about our patients, their families and their stories. We learned how they developed their wounds, how the wounds progressed and the journey to our doorstep to find healing. For most, the journey has not been easy.
We were privileged enough to celebrate our first 153 patients and honor them with a healing ceremony. A ceremony that commemorated the ending of their wound journey. A renewed hope in healing and chance to have their lives back without a wound. Our patients received a certificate, t-shirt, a picture with their plaque on our Healing Tree and many handshakes and hugs from our wound center staff.
People often wonder what it is like to have a chronic non-healing wound and I can tell you the answer is that it is truly a life changing event. Chronic wounds are debilitating not only medically but socially as well. Imagine not being able to carry out the things that you do in your everyday life; grocery shopping, driving or participating in social events or church. Not being able to go fishing and swimming or watching your grandkids’ sporting events. People often times are embarrassed of their wounds or pretend that they will go away. People often are not aware that there is help out there. Help can be found in our Wound and Hyperbaric Healing Center.
Healing chronic wounds is not easy. Patients who come into our treatment are assisted in developing a personalized care plan. These plans have lots of expectations and goals to work to reach the ultimate goal of a healed wound. We work with patients on such things as smoking cessation, diabetes control and nutritional counseling. Our patients may have to wear casts or special orthotics to off-load areas of pressure and breakdown, and not to forget the specialized dressing, bio-engineered skin substitutes and hyperbaric therapy. Sometimes vascular intervention is needed as well to ensure that the area, such as the foot, is getting adequate blood flow which is needed to heal wounds.
In the US there are over 6.8 million people living with a chronic wound. This shows us that one in every four families has a member that is affected by a non-healing wound. We are here to help. We have the program and formula to heal a wound within fourteen weeks. We get patients back to their every-day lives quickly. What are you waiting for? If you have a wound or know someone with a wound, come and see us. We’d be glad to help. There is a life waiting for you outside of living with a wound.
For more information and to schedule an appointment, contact the Wound and Hyperbaric Healing Center at Windom Area Health at 507-831-0686 or www.WindomAreaHealth.org.
Our Vison
We are the wound healing expert, driving wound science, healing and prevention forward to help heal more wounds and change more lives.
Our Mission
We are committed to advancing wound healing by creating and sharing our wound care expertise: everywhere we can, for every patient who would benefit, by the best means available.
Blog Written By: Nikkie Steen, Program Director