Wound Clinic News & Notes

Wound Care Clinic Names New Services Director
Barbara Truitt, BA, RN, WCC, CLT, CWOCN, has been named director of wound care services at Nanticoke Health Services, Seaford, DE. In this position, Truitt will oversee the day-to-day operations of Nanticoke’s Wound Care and Hyperbaric Center and inpatient wound and ostomy care, according to company officials.

Truitt is an eighth-generation Delaware native who brings with her extensive experience in wound care medicine. A registered nurse who is certified in wound care, lymphedema therapy, and wound, ostomy, continence nursing, Truitt also holds a bachelor of arts degree in psychology from Saint Leo University and is currently attending Bellevue University to study healthcare administration. She has served the community with Nanticoke Memorial Hospital for 19 years. 

North Carolina Clinic Participates in Heart Health Month
Staff members at Southeastern Health’s Southeastern Wound Healing Center, Lumberton, NC, are involved in a campaign to spread awareness about cardiovascular disease’s impact on wound healing as part of American Heart Month, which is being recognized throughout February. 

According to a report by The Robesonian, a newspaper based in Lumberton, staff members at the wound clinic, a member of Healogics Inc., are educating the community and patients about healthy exercise; smoking cessation; sleep hygiene; stress management; heart-healthy dieting and weight loss; and blood pressure, cholesterol, and diabetes management. 

Wound Care Clinician Earns Recognition for Presentation
Deborah M. Wendland, PT, DPT, PhD, CPed, associate professor of physical therapy at Mercer University, has been recognized by university officials for her recent presentations during an American Physical Therapy Association meeting held Jan. 23-26 in Washington, DC. Wendland co-presented the case report “Rehabilitation for a Patient With Bilateral Transfemoral Amputations Undergoing Incremental Increase in Pylon Length” and presented “A Survey Study of Health Promotion, Wellness, and Prevention in Wound Care Environments” and “Lifestyle Behaviors in Physical Therapists Practicing in Wound Care Environments.” 

Wound Clinic Nurse Recognized for Life-Saving Efforts
A registered nurse on staff at the UPMC Pinnacle Advanced Wound Healing Center of Carlisle (PA), is being credited with saving a patient’s life following a routine appointment. Pat Bear, RN, found 79-year-old patient James Ketchum on the ground, partially under his car, more than 24 hours after she treated him on Oct. 4, according to a report by The Sentinel, a local newspaper. A six-year patient at the clinic, Ketchum reportedly said he wasn’t feeling well during the day of his visit, but did not agree with Bear’s and a physician’s suggestion that he go to the hospital. 

After the patient left the facility that day, Bear said she had an uneasy feeling about his condition, which intensified when repeated calls to his house went unanswered, according to the report. Knowing that Ketchum lives alone, Bear decided to drive 25 miles to his home, where she reportedly found him feverish and semiconscious. She called 911, and Ketchum would go on to be hospitalized for almost one week before being transferred to Claremont Nursing and Rehabilitation Center in Carlisle, where he required several weeks of rehabilitation, according to the report. A nurse of 44 years, Bear is planning her retirement in March. 

Pennsylvania Wound Center Welcomes New Physician
Michael E. Smith, MD, has joined the staff at Lancaster (PA) General Health Physicians Wound Care & Hyperbaric Medicine, a member of the Penn Medicine network, according to a recent report by LancasterOnline. A graduate of the University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey, Smith completed his residency at the University of California, Davis. He is board-certified in surgery and most recently practiced at the Wound and Hyperbaric Center at Lower Bucks Hospital, Bristol, PA.