Wound Healing Center opens at Sentara Northern Virginia Medical Center

Today, Thursday, June 21, 2018, Sentara Northern Virginia Medical Center officially unveiled its newly renovated and expanded Sentara Wound Healing Center during a ribbon cutting attended by current and past Sentara Northern Virginia Medical Center Board members, the Potomac Health Foundation Board, administration, physicians, community members and members of the team. 

The Sentara Wound Healing Center has a history of offering its patients a comprehensive, specialized team approach in dealing with non-healing and difficult to heal wounds. This recent renovation permits easier access for patients and staff with larger doorways and halls. The expansion also includes more storage space and room for the introduction of an advanced treatment option:  Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy.

The addition of Sentara Wound Healing Center’s two hyperbaric oxygen chambers will allow new opportunities for patients with slow healing, hard to treat wounds.

“Being able to treat patients with Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy is a huge advancement for our organization,” explains Dr. Carol Shapiro, Medical Director of Sentara Wound Healing Center, “This is an exciting technology and even in our short experience, we are already seeing results.”

In Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy, patients receive daily treatments of 100% oxygen delivered under pressure. The purpose of Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy is to promote healing in wounds which are stalling like, areas treated with radiation or because of a systemic disease, like diabetes. By breathing this 100% oxygen, wounds heal quicker, opening diseased or injured blood vessels.

For patients like Larry Boomer, an amputee and diabetic who has been fighting slow healing wounds for years, hyperbaric oxygen therapy has given him a new lease on life.

“In the short time I’ve been doing this treatment, my wounds have healed up so amazingly. I had surgery on my foot and had a wound which was open for six months. Now, within 34 days, the wound is just about completely closed. I’m just amazed!” says Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy patient, Larry Boomer.

“This advanced technology is an incredible addition to the community and the Sentara Wound Healing Center. It wouldn’t be possible without months of hard work by our dedicated team,” says Kathie Johnson, President, Sentara Northern Virginia Medical Center.

The state-of-the-art Sentara Wound Healing Center brings together a diverse team of doctors and specialists who work with a patient’s own physicians to develop a customized treatment plan and provide expert care for hard to treat wounds.

“The addition of Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy aligns with Sentara Northern Virginia Medical Center’s mission and vision: to Improve Health Every Day and be the provider of choice for our community. The Sentara Wound Healing Center does this by elevating patient care and providing these important treatment options right in our patients’ own backyards,” says Johnson.

If you or a loved one has a wound that just won’t heal, don’t hesitate. Contact the experienced doctors, nurses and staff at the Sentara Wound Healing Center: 703-523-0660.