The Mercy Memorial and Springfield Regional Wound Care Centers are helping to raise awareness of chronic wounds as part of Wound Care Awareness Week, which is June 5-9.

Chronic wounds affect an estimated 6.7 million people in the United States and the incidence is rising, fueled by an aging population and increasing rates of diseases and conditions such as diabetes, obesity and the late effects of radiation therapy. Untreated, chronic wounds can lead to diminished quality of life and possibly amputation of the affected limb.

The Springfield Regional and Mercy Memorial Wound Care Centers, members of the Healogics network, offer advanced therapies to patients with chronic wounds. Their teams will dedicate the entire week to educating physician, patients and the general public about the chronic wound epidemic and the advanced wound care solutions.

“We see patients living with non-healing wounds for a prolonged amount of time due to the lack of awareness of advanced wound care options,” said D. Scott Covington, MD, FACS, Chief Medical Director for Healogics. “We work to educate community physicians about which of their patients can benefit from advanced wound care, and then provide coordinated care to heal that patient’s wounds.”

People with wounds that have not improved with traditional methods of treatment may benefit from a visit to Mercy Memorial or Springfield Regional Wound Care Centers. To learn more or to schedule an appointment, call:

·Mercy Memorial Wound Care Center: 937-653-4969

·Springfield Regional Wound Care Center: 937-523-9170

For additional information about wound care, visit mercy.com and look under “Specialties.”