Southcoast Health Wound Care Center earns national recognition for clinical excellence

FALL RIVER and NEW BEDFORD, Mass. – Southcoast Health officials announced today that the Wound Care Center, located at Charlton Memorial and St. Luke’s Hospitals, earned significant recognition for clinical excellence from Healogics®, the nation’s largest provider of advanced wound care services.

“The Southcoast Health Wound Care Center is a critical service line that dramatically increases the quality of life for patients in our region,” said Jacqueline Somerville, Senior Vice President, and Chief Nursing Officer for Southcoast Health. “These awards demonstrate our team’s unwavering commitment to clinical excellence and I am grateful for their continuous dedication to our patients.”

Both Charlton Memorial and St. Luke’s Hospitals have received the 2022 Healogics Center of Distinction award for achieving outstanding clinical outcomes for 12 consecutive months, with a patient satisfaction rate of over 92 percent. Charlton Memorial Hospital also earned additional recognition, including the 2022 President’s Circle Award and the 2022 Healogics Robert A. Warriner, III Clinical Excellence Award.

According to data from Healogics, nearly 7 million Americans are living with chronic wounds, and this number is expected to increase by 2 percent annually over the next 10 years. Non-healing wounds could lead to severe complications such as infections, which could ultimately result in amputation or even loss of life.

“On this 10th anniversary of wound care awareness celebrated throughout the month of June, I want to express my deep appreciation and gratitude to the wound care center providers, nurses and staff for their hard work and dedication in caring for patients with chronic wounds,” said Cheryl Thompson, RN, Wound Care Program Director at Southcoast Health. “We are passionate about sharing our expertise in wound management and are honored to deliver advanced wound care services to the patients in our community.”

The Southcoast Health Wound Care Center provides advanced wound care modalities including negative pressure wound therapy, compression therapy, total contact casting, bio-engineered tissues, and biosynthetic dressings. The Center in Fall River also offers hyperbaric oxygen therapy, which works by surrounding the patient with 100 percent oxygen to help progress the healing of the wound.

The care provided at the centers improves outcomes by healing wounds faster, preventing complications, and improving the patient’s overall quality of life.

This summer, Southcoast plans to expand this essential care across the region by opening an additional location at Tobey Hospital in Wareham, MA.