OVGH wound care centers renamed Pittsburgh's Wound Healing Institute

To better reflect the highly specialized wound care methodologies and treatments offered at its wound care centers, Ohio Valley General Hospital has unveiled a new name for its two wound healing cetners: Pittsburgh's Wound Healing Institute with locations in Kennedy Township and Mt. Nebo Commons in the North Hills.

Ohio Valley General Hospital has treated chronic wounds and non-responsive conditions at the Kennedy Township location for 18 years and just recently opened the new location in Mt. Nebo Commons. The two locations of Pittsburgh's Wound Healing Institute are both National Healing Managed Centers.

"Our new name encompasses the outstanding care and evidence-based treatment protocols we follow in achieving above average heal rates, said Sharon Kogel-Squeri, Vice President of Corporate Diagnostic Services and Physician Integration. "We are ready to meet the needs of our community as rising rates of diabetes and vascular disease combined with an aging population will increase the need for wound care in the years ahead."

Pittsburgh's Wound Healing Institute has access to a nationwide network of researchers and specialists for new ways to heal chronic wounds in less time than ever before through National Healing Corporation, which accounts for more than 30 percent of the country's managed and outsourced wound healing centers.

Patients suffering from diabetic ulcers, pressure ulcers, infections and other chronic wounds which have not healed in 30 days or more also have access to highly specialized wound care including the use of vascular studies, tissue culturing and pathology, revascularization, skin grafting and clinical or surgical debridement.

Pittsburgh's Wound Healing Institute is the first medical facility in the region to offer hyperbaric oxygen therapy, which works by surrounding the patient with 100 percent oxygen at higher than normal atmospheric pressure as the patient watches television or talks with others while relaxing on a bed encased within a large see-through plastic shell.  The only physical sensation resulting from the treatment is a slight pressure on the eardrum, such as that felt when a plane lands, as the air in the chamber is compressed.

A Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy technician assists a patient before undergoing treatment.

This advanced therapy increases the amount of oxygen in the patient's blood and allows red blood cells to pass more easily through the plasma into the wound to heal it from the inside out.  Diabetic foot wounds are an excellent example of wounds that may benefit most from this type of treatment.

Patients may also have the opportunity to participate in clinical trials and multi-center studies with other National Healing Managed Centers that study the effectiveness of new therapies.

National Healing Corporation has earned The Joint Commission's Disease-Specific Care Certification for wound care and has industry-leading heal rates in which chronic wounds have positive outcomes in an average of eight weeks.

When faced with a challenging case, Pittsburgh's Wound Healing Institute collaborates with expert pathologists at the University of Miami Leonard M. Miller School of Medicine in Florida to gain a rapid diagnosis and begin an effective treatment. Physicians, nurses and technicians also receive specialized training at the National Healing Institute on The Ohio State University campus as well as opportunities to attend research symposiums featuring briefings by internationally recognized specialists.

Pittsburgh's Wound Healing Institute is located at 500 Pine Hollow Road in Kenmawr Plaza in Kennedy Township across from Ohio Valley GeneralHospital (412/250-2600) and in a new 13,000 square-foot suite in Mt. Nebo Commons at 107 Mt. Nebo Pointe Road in Pittsburgh (412/847-7500).

Both locations are shared with the Institute for Pain Diagnostics and Care.