Atrium’s facility will encompass 3,000 square feet inside the first floor of the professional office building attached to the hospital.
“We have the space but need some construction work,” Hoffman said.
The goal is to have the space ready for staff to occupy and start testing equipment by mid-July with an open date targeted for Aug. 3, Hoffman said. The clinic would be open Monday to Friday.
The Wound Care Center and Hyperbaric Services will include a full wound care center with five treatment rooms and two individual hyperbaric chamber rooms for high-pressure oxygen treatment.
Injuries treated at a wound care center vary from surgical wounds with difficulty healing; wounds from radiation therapy; wounds related to lack of blood supply to the legs or feet; or diabetic-related wounds, according to Hoffman.
Hoffman said other ways to provide wound care will include surgery, cleansing the wounds, covering the wounds and debridement, which is a surgical cleaning of the wound to get to clean tissue.
“It will be extremely comprehensive,” Hoffman said. “We think there’s quite a market out there. These can be debilitating wounds. It’s liberating for these patients.”
Staffing for the wound care center will include physicians from a mix of disciplines, such as primary care, surgery and podiatry; trained nurses; and a unit manager. Hoffman said there could also be physicians provided by Healogics.
Healogics, headquartered in Jacksonville, Fla., is the nation’s largest provider of advanced wound care services, according to the company. Healogics and its affiliated companies manage over 600 wound care centers.
Hoffman said the planning process and contextual drawings have been completed, and the network will select a contractor next.
“We’re moving forward very quickly,” Hoffman said. “We’re very excited; it will be a wonderful service to our community.”
In Butler County, Fort Hamilton Hospital has operated a wound care center since 2006 in partnership with Healogics. The Hamilton hospital expanded its wound care services to Liberty Twp. in late 2014 with the opening of Liberty Pointe Wound Care Center at 1717 Dutchland Parkway.
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