Local Wound Care Center® Aims to Raise Awareness of Diabetic Foot Ulcers

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National campaign October 24-28 in cities nationwide

Show Low, AZ – October 24, 2016 – The Wound Care Center at Summit Healthcare a member of the Healogics network, is participating in the Healogics National Diabetes Campaign from October 24 to 28.  One of nearly 800 Healogics-managed Centers; Wound Care Center at Summit Healthcare offers advanced therapies to patients suffering from chronic wounds like diabetic foot ulcers. Team members across the nation will dedicate the entire week to visiting local physician offices to provide education on the treatment of potential or existing chronic wounds for people also suffering from diabetes.

There are approximately 29.1 million people living with diabetes in the United States, and nearly 28 percent are undiagnosed. Of those 29.1 million, about 25 percent will eventually develop a foot ulcer. Left untreated, these ulcers can impair quality of life and may lead to amputation. In 2010, 60 percent of non-traumatic lower-limb amputations occurred in adults 20 years and older with diagnosed diabetes.

Early detection and intervention can help to mitigate the possibility of limb loss. The Wound Care Center at Summit Healthcare recommends the following to help prevent diabetic foot ulcers:

  • Stop smoking immediately
  • Comprehensive foot examinations each time you visit your healthcare provider (at least four times a year)
  • Daily self-inspections of the feet, or have a family member perform the inspection
  • Regular care of the feet including cleaning toenails and taking care of corns and calluses
  • Choose supportive, proper footwear (shoes and socks)
  • Take steps to improve circulation such as eating healthier and exercising on a regular basis

Proper wound care is imperative to healing diabetic foot ulcers. Summit Healthcare Wound Care Center offers a number of leading-edge treatments including Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy, Total Contact Casting (TCC), and Negative Pressure Wound Therapy. These specialized wound care therapies can aid in wound closure, new tissue growth, wound tissue regeneration and much more.

Contact Summit Healthcare Wound Care Center to learn more about diabetic foot ulcers or if you have a wound that will not heal. To schedule an appointment, please call 928-537-6820 or visit summithealthcare.net.

About Summit Healthcare

Summit Healthcare is a not-for-profit health care organization with the primary mission to provide exceptional care, close to home. For further information, please call 928.537.4375 or visit our web site www.SummitHealthcare.net

About Healogics

Headquartered in Jacksonville, Fla., Healogics is the nation’s largest provider of advanced wound care services. Healogics and its affiliated companies manage nearly 800 Wound Care Centers® in the nation and saw approximately 285,000 new patients in 2015 through a connected network of partner hospitals and Wound Care Centers, academic medical centers, and other post‐acute sites. Healogics utilizes an evidence‐based systematic approach to chronic wound healing to treat an underserved and growing patient population. A fund managed by Clayton, Dubilier & Rice, a private investment firm, is the majority shareholder of Healogics. For more information, please visit www.healogics.com.

Sources

Statement: An estimated 29.1 million people (9.3 percent of the population) have diabetes, and nearly 28 percent are undiagnosed. Age, diet, activity level, obesity and heredity are all risk factors for diabetes.

Source: https://www.diabetes.org/diabetes-basics/statistics/

Statement: People with diabetes can also experience co-existing conditions such as stroke, blindness, heart disease, kidney failure and lower-limb amputation.

Source: https://www.diabetes.org/diabetes-basics/statistics/

Statement: In 2010, nearly 73,000 adults aged 20 years or older with diagnosed diabetes received non-traumatic lower-limb amputations

Source: https://www.diabetes.org/diabetes-basics/statistics/

Statement: In addition, about 86 million US adults have prediabetes and more than 77 million of them are unaware

Source: https://www.cdc.gov/chronicdisease/resources/publications/aag/pdf/2016/diabetes-aag.pdf

Statement:  In 2010, nearly 73,000 adults aged 20 years or older with diagnosed diabetes received non-traumatic lower-limb amputations. This accounts for 60 percent of non-traumatic lower-limb amputations.

Source: https://templatelab.com/national-diabetes-report-2014/

Statement: People with an amputation have a 50 percent mortality rate within five years.

Source: L.E.K. Consulting 2014 Market Analysis “Market Sizing and Assessment of Outsourced Outpatient Wound Care”

Statement: Diabetes related amputations may result from chronic wounds caused by diabetes, especially diabetic foot ulcers. It is estimated that 25 percent of all diabetics will develop a diabetic foot ulcer.

Source: https://www.woundsresearch.com/article/offloading-foot-wounds-people-diabetes

Statement: There are several common factors of diabetic foot ulcers including neuropathy, peripheral arterial disease (PAD), deformities and Charcot foot. Neuropathy is a result of damage to peripheral nerves and often causes weakness, numbness and pain in hands and feet. Similarly, PAD is caused by narrowed arteries which reduces blood flow to the limbs. Charcot foot is a deformity that results from nerve damage in the foot or ankle potentially causing injuries to go untreated leading to the breakdown of joints.

Source: https://qjmed.oxfordjournals.org/content/101/9/685#ref-1

Statement: The [Wound Care Center name]® recommends the following to help prevent diabetic foot ulcers:

  • Stop smoking immediately
  • Comprehensive foot examinations each time you visit your healthcare provider (at least four times a year)
  • Daily self-inspections of the feet, or have a family member perform the inspection
  • Regular care of the feet including cleaning toenails and taking care of corns and calluses
  • Choose supportive, proper footwear (shoes and socks)
  • Take steps to improve circulation such as eating healthier and exercising on a regular basis

Source: https://www.cdc.gov/features/diabetesfoothealth/index.html

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