Murphy – The Erlanger Western Carolina Hospital Wound Care Center is open, featuring a new, multidisciplinary care team.
As a comprehensive wound center, the Erlanger Western Carolina Hospital Wound Care Center treats wounds of all kinds but specializes in those that are difficult to heal or are complicated by other health conditions. Types of wounds treated include diabetic ulcers, arterial and venous ulcers, pressure sores, skin lacerations, radiation burns, post-operative infections, trauma injuries, and more.
To expedite wound healing, the center offers advanced wound care methods when appropriate, such as negative pressure wound therapy, tissue growing therapies, total contact casting, debridement, and referrals as needed for overall health improvement.
“It’s a wonderful thing for the community,” Erlanger CEO Stephanie Boynton said during a ribbon-cutting ceremony June 21. “It’s a service that we think is desperately needed.
“I think this service will be well-received by the community and we’re grateful to partner with Healogics. Kudos to Richelle (Phillips) and all the staff here that’s done a wonderful job of getting this up and running.”
Misty Walters, Healogics clinical director of operations, said her organization is the largest wound care management company in the country. According to data provided by Healogics, one in four families has a family member with a chronic wound.
Wounds left untreated can lead to diminished quality of life and possible amputation of the affected limb. About 30 percent of untreated chronic wounds result in amputation, and five-years post-amputation the mortality rate is about 75 percent.
“We get to provide world-class wound care to the local community,” Walters said. “We offer all of the advanced modalities. Everything you would expect in a large center, a large hub community, all will be offered right here.”
The center initially was set to open June 30 but delayed that move until early August in order to finalize required approval procedures. It is located in the hospital annex, which is the former site of the nursing home.
Program Director Gina Sneed said several physicians will alternate as the center’s medical provider. Erlanger has welcomed providers Dr. Andrew Beeghly, Dr. Wendy Corso and Dr. Mark Gilbert.
“This new team of providers is a great addition to the EWCH family, and I look forward to seeing wound care services continue to grow in western North Carolina,” Boynton said.
Previously serving as EWCH’s medical director of wound care and hyperbaric medicine, Beeghly returns to EWCH after military deployment. He is a board-certified emergency medicine physician who specializes in wound care and hyperbaric medicine.
Beeghly will serve as the EWCH Wound Care Center medical director. He began his medical career as an emergency medical technician and U.S. Army medic in 2000, and he continues to serve as a lieutenant colonel in the Army Reserves. He received his medical education at Lake Erie College of Osteopathic Medicine in Bradenton, Fla.
Corso is a board-certified family nurse practitioner who received specialized training in emergency medicine. Prior to joining Erlanger, Corso worked as an EMT-paramedic in Murphy and as a nurse in east Tennessee. She later received her master’s degree in family nursing from Middle Tennessee State University and a Doctor of Nursing Practice degree from Samford University in Birmingham, Ala.
Gilbert is board certified in emergency medicine with nearly 30 years of medical experience. Gilbert attended the University of South Florida College of Medicine in Tampa, Fla. He previously served as the chief medical officer at EWCH and medical director of the EWCH Wound Care & Hyperbaric Center before its closure.
For details, call 828-837-7166 or visit erlanger.org/westerncarolina.