ROBERT WOOD JOHNSON UNIVERSITY HOSPITAL AT RAHWAY OPENS A NEW WOUND CARE CENTER AND LOOKS AHEAD TO THE OPENING OF A NEW SLEEP DISORDERS CLINIC

BY KIM ANN ZIMMERMANN

SNAPSHOT OF ROBERT WOOD JOHNSON UNIVERSITY HOSPITAL AT RAHWAY

865 Stone Street Rahway, NJ Main number: 732-381-4200 www.rwjuhr.com Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital at Rahway is a 265-bed acute care facility that offers specialized services including: Chest Pain Emergency, Cardiac Catheterization, Nicholas Quadrel Healthy Heart Center, Diabetes Self-Management, Psychiatric Emergency Services, Ventilator Weaning Program, Sub-acute/Long-Term Care, Geriatric Outreach, Rehabilitation, Balance Testing and Therapy.

Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital at Rahway opened a Wound Care Center this summer and patients are already putting their chronic non-healing wounds in the past and getting back to their normal routines.

“A non-healing wound — a wound that has not shown significant improvement in four weeks — can have a serious impact on your health and your lifestyle,” says Thomas B. Woodard, program director of The Wound Care Center. “We take care of tough wounds all day, every day, so our team knows how to deal with these tough wounds.”

The Wound Care Center is a state-of-the-art outpatient facility offering advanced technologies and treatments for patients through proven clinical protocols in the treatment of chronic, non-healing wounds.

“We are excited to be adding this vital service to our continuum of care,” says Kirk C. Tice, President and CEO, Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital at Rahway. “Not only will the Wound Care Center complement the quality care already available at the hospital, but it also can serve as a key adjunct to our referring physicians.”

Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital at Rahway is in partnership with Wound Care Centers, Inc., a leader in wound management with more than 100 centers nationwide.

The center will use Wound Care Centers, Inc.’s techniques that focus on not just treating the wound’s symptoms, but healing it entirely by taking a disease management approach that eliminates the cause. This yields some of the best outcomes available: an average healing time of 35 days for stubborn wounds that have resisted treatment on average for six months, a more than 88 percent limb salvage rate and greater than 95 percent patient satisfaction rate.

“We can tap into the expertise at all of our centers, which provides patients with a high level of care,” says John Hall, regional director for Wound Care Centers.

THE ADVANTAGES OF A WOUND CARE CENTER
“Our interdisciplinary approach and experienced team of physicians and nurses are dedicated to treating wounds that have resisted healing after many months and even after years of traditional treatment,” notes Anthony Tonzola, MD, Medical Director of the Wound Care Center.

One of the many advantages of a wound care center is the ability to provide patients with an individualized, comprehensive care plan. “We work in concert with the patient’s primary care physician, but we are focused on the wound and develop a specific plan for each patient,” says Woodard.

The staff is well versed in the clinical protocols for wound management, including infection control, removal of dead or damaged tissue (called debridement) and dressings. A case manager follows each patient through the healing process, and the center’s staff communicates with the patient’s primary care physician regarding treatment and progress.

Education is also a key component of effective wound healing, says Woodard.

Patient education is another benefit of the specialized treatment found at wound healing centers. “We typically see patients once a week, so we need to educate the patient and other caregivers as to how to care for their wounds in between visits,” Woodard says.

TREATING THE CAUSE
About six million people suffer from chronic, non-healing wounds. Associated with inadequate circulation, poorly functioning veins and immobility. While it is important to heal a wound as quickly as possible, it is also crucial to discover any underlying causes for the non-healing wound, such as a lack of exercise, poor-fitting shoes or improper nutrition.

A non-healing wound can also be the sign of other health problems, such as diabetes. Non-healing wounds occur most frequently in people with diabetes. “While healing wounds is our specialty, and we love sending people ‘healed’ letters to let them know that they have completed the healing process, the goal is to prevent another wound going forward,” says Woodard.

The Wound Care Center is located on the third floor of the hospital. For more information about the center, call 732-453-2915.

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