Southern Illinois patients have access to specialized treatment for chronic and complex wounds through SSM Health’s Wound Healing Centers in Centralia and Mt. Vernon.
SSM Health St. Mary’s Hospital in Centralia offers hyperbaric oxygen therapy, which is used to treat certain chronic wounds associated with diabetes, radiation injuries, bone infections and other conditions. St. Mary’s is the only hospital in the immediate area offering the specialized chambers required for the treatment.
Hyperbaric oxygen therapy helps promote the formation of new blood vessels, allowing more oxygen and nutrients to reach damaged tissue and assist the body’s healing process.
Wound Healing Centers at St. Mary’s and SSM Health Good Samaritan Hospital in Mt. Vernon also treat conditions including diabetic foot ulcers, venous leg ulcers and pressure injuries. The centers work with specialists in vascular medicine, endocrinology, surgery, radiation oncology and other fields when needed.
Area Program Director Pamela Ford encourages patients to seek treatment when wounds fail to heal within 30 days, noting that delaying care can make healing more difficult.
According to Ford, 98% of patients treated at SSM Health’s Southern Illinois Wound Healing Centers heal successfully, with the centers reporting healing rates above national benchmarks.