About the WBRMC Wound Care Center

The West Branch Regional Medical Center Wound Care Center®

The Wound Care Center at West Branch Regional Medical Center provides specialized treatment for chronic or non-healing wounds, which are defined as sores or wounds that have not significantly improved from conventional treatments. Associated with inadequate circulation, poorly functioning veins, and immobility, non-healing wounds lead to lower quality of life and may lead to amputations. When wounds persist, a specialized approach is required for healing. Typically, a wound that does not respond to normal medical care within 30 days is considered a problem or chronic wound.

That's where our Wound Care Center® can help. With the state-of-the-art treatments available including debridement, hyperbaric oxygen therapy, dressing selection, special shoes, and patient education, people with non-healing and chronic wounds now have a place to turn.

How does hyperbaric oxygen therapy work?

HBOT is used as an adjunctive treatment for problematic, non-healing wounds that meet specific criteria; it is expected that 10 to 20% of the wound care cases will do so. Throughout HBOT treatments, the patients are monitored to see if the concentration of oxygen has increased in the blood near the wound. If the oxygen level is higher, the therapy is most likely beneficial to the patient.

During the treatments, the patient breathes 100 percent oxygen inside a pressurized chamber, quickly increasing the concentration of oxygen in the bloodstream, where it is delivered to a patient's wound site for faster healing. Essentially, HBOT therapy helps heal the wound from the inside out. This therapy can help reduce swelling, fight infection, and build new blood vessels, ultimately producing healthy tissue. It is also effective in fighting certain types of infections, improving circulation, in stimulating growth of new blood vessels, and in treating crush injuries, osteomyelitis, compromised skin grafts and flaps, brown recluse spider bites, and diabetic wounds of the lower extremities.

Are you a candidate for specialized wound care?

If you suffer from a chronic or non-healing wound, ask your physician about a referral to our Wound Care Center, or contact us directly for an assessment. If you are a candidate for this outpatient program, the Wound Care Center will immediately work with you and your doctor to deliver the following:

• Advanced therapies, such as hyperbaric oxygen therapy
  
• Proven clinical protocols
  
• An individualized, comprehensive plan of care that brings you the most appropriate and effective treatments for your specific needs
  
• Assessment and ongoing care by our highly skilled team of wound care specialists, including a case manager who will oversee every aspect of your treatment
  
• Education for you and your family to help healing happen at home, including materials and resources related to prevention, nutrition, hygiene, and more
  
• Ongoing communication and collaboration with you and your doctor so that you each remain informed about your progress
  
• Wound Care Center Partnership with Healogics

Partnership with the leading wound care management company.

Through a partnership with Healogics, West Branch Regional Medical Center is able to offer a new and comprehensive center offering specialized wound care and hyperbaric medicine. Healogics is the world's largest wound care management company with over 500 hospital partners delivering excellent evidence-based care to patients with chronic wounds. Healogics has been the leader in wound care for over 20 years, offering the most advanced modalities such as adjunctive hyperbaric oxygen therapy (HBOT). Of special importance to our hospital, Healogics centers traditionally achieve excellent clinical outcomes, including high limb salvage rates, a 91% healing rate within 31 median days-to-heal, and extremely high patient satisfaction.

Wound Care Center at West Branch Regional Medical Center
335 E. Houghton Avenue
West Branch, MI 48661
(989) 343-3790
Hours: 8:00 am to 4:30 pm, Monday through Friday