By LOIS KINDLE
lekindle@aol.com
The HCA Florida South Shore Hospital Wound Care Center will host an open house from 8 to 11 a.m., Sept. 16, offering residents a chance to learn about advanced treatment options for chronic and nonhealing wounds. Local medical providers are invited to drop by between 8 and 11 a.m.
The event is open to the public and includes a light breakfast/brunch, some giveaways and three specialty product/device vendors.
Although the center has been open for three years, many in the South Shore community remain unaware of the specialized care it provides. It has already helped hundreds of patients.
Its individualized care plans and advanced treatments are designed for wounds that require more than routine treatment.
These include arterial ulcers, circulatory related wounds, diabetic foot ulcers, pressure sores, venous stasis ulcers, surgical wounds and non-life-threatening injuries that fail to heal on their own.
Visitors are invited to tour the facility, meet the team, enjoy refreshments and take part in educational workshops focused on wound prevention, treatment options and the healing process.
The HCA Florida South Shore Hospital Wound Care Center is open from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. weekdays at 1901 Haverford Ave., Suite 109, Sun City Center, in the medical plaza directly behind the hospital. It’s open to everyone, including residents of Sun City Center, Wimauma, Ruskin, Apollo Beach, Parrish and surrounding communities. Patients do not need to be part of the HCA Florida Healthcare system to attend the event or receive care.
The center accepts most major insurance plans, and appointments are required.
Overseen by clinic director Stacey Byers RN, its staff includes three other nurses who do intake and perform initial tests and a patient navigator. A physician or nurse practitioner is available to do debridement, take cultures or biopsies, and order additional or diagnostic tests as needed. They also give nurses orders for the necessary dressings.
“It depends on what a patient’s wound looks like, how long it’s been there, if there are any comorbidities and the patient’s nutritional status,” Byers said. “If your wound’s not healing, there may be underlying reasons, including risk factors like poor blood flow, poor nutrition intake or elevated blood pressure. We can do tests for and help diagnose what’s going on to help prevent sepsis and other severe infections.”
For an appointment or more information, call 813-649-2424.