The Center for Wound Healing at the University of Maryland Charles Regional Medical Center celebrates its 10th Anniversary on Aug. 7. In the last decade, the Center for Wound Healing has received multiple awards for patient care, including Healogics’ 2021 Center of Distinction and President’s Circle awards, while helping thousands of Southern Maryland patients heal their chronic wounds.
“The Center for Wound Healing is an integral part of the exceptional care we provide to our patients on a daily basis,” said Joseph Moser, MD, UM Charles Regional Chief Medical Officer. “It has been at the forefront of technology and treatment options, as well as patient care, since its inception, so I’m incredibly excited to see what the center will accomplish in the next 10 years.”
Over the last decade, the UM Charles Regional Center for Wound Healing has treated more than 5,600 patients in 56,474 wound care visits and with 9,146 hyperbaric oxygen treatments.
A recent patient who was able to ring the center’s bell – a tradition of the center – to signify a successful end to his treatment was Robert M. Young Sr., 59, of White Plains. Young developed a serious foot wound related to Type 2 diabetes that refused to heal; he had a significant possibility of having to have part of his foot amputated.
Following nearly nine months of progressive treatment, including more than 30 sessions in the hyperbaric oxygen chamber, Young was able to ring the bell signifying his recovery on Friday, July 22.
“Everybody in that wound care center looked after me like I was family,” Young said, noting the center’s work, along with some lifestyle changes, have greatly improved his quality of life and ensured that he’ll enjoy many more joyful years with his wife and children.
“I give them all the praise,” Young said of the Center for Wound Healing team. “They made sure I knew what was going on, and they kept my spirits up. I am very, very thankful. They gave me the opportunity to start again.”
The center’s medical director, Suryakant Patel, MD, who recently celebrated 40 years serving as a surgeon at UM Charles Regional Medical Center, has been with the Center for Wound Healing since its founding and is proud of the progress made in its first 10 years. “From our level of care, willingness to innovate, and diversity in treatment options, the center is second to none in my view,” Dr. Patel said. “Along with our excellent nursing, administrative and technical staff, we have a strong and dedicated team of knowledgeable providers that do everything in their power to bring relief to their patients.”
In addition to a team of dedicated providers, the UM Charles Regional Center for Wound Healing is also home to some of the most advanced technology in the field. Available treatment options include hyperbaric oxygen therapy, specialty wound dressings, wound debridement, bio-engineered skin substitutes, traditional and single-use negative pressure wound therapy, total contact casting, and multilayer compression therapy.
“Our approach to care is always people-first and patient-centered,” said Erica Hall, RN, clinical program director of the center. “It’s been the focus of the center for our first 10 years and will continue to be as we move into our second decade.”
The UM Charles Regional Center for Wound Healing is part of the Healogics network which includes nearly 600 wound care centers across the United States that treat more than 300,000 patients a year. Healogics’ mission is to advance wound healing by creating, sharing and activating wound care expertise everywhere possible and for every patient who would benefit, by the best means available.
The Center for Wound Healing at UM Charles Regional Medical Center in La Plata is celebrating its 10th anniversary on Aug. 7. The team, from left: Dr. Suryakant Patel, Medical Director, Whitney Hart, RN, Katy Kaufmann, RN, Erica Hall, RN, Clinical Program Director, Christine Brann,, RN, Nolan Dinsmore, RN, Elisa Swift, RN, and Rachel Katsouros, RN, Nurse Manager. Not pictured: Angelica Partin, Ruth Keys and Stephanie Powers, LPN, certified hyperbaric technician
Robert M. Young of White Plains, left, shows a thumbs-up with Rachel Katsouros, RN, nurse manager, while posing for a picture in June. Young successfully healed a diabetes-related foot wound at the UM Charles Regional Center for Wound Healing.
