Sierra Providence East opens new Wound Care and hyperbaric center

Story and Photos by: Ricky J. Carrasco

On July 26, Sierra Providence officially opened up the new Wound Care and Hyperbaric Medicine Center at the eastside on Loop 375 at Joe Battle. The Wound Care Center will treat people with wounds that are chronically difficult to heal due to problems with circulation caused by diabetes and other conditions.

According to Dr. Mazin Khateeb, the normal timetable for an admitted patient is around twenty sessions spread over a month to 45 days. Each session involves an hour to 90 minutes of lying in one of the two chambers located in the center. The chamber pumps pure oxygen under pressure to the patient. The added pressure forces the oxygen throughout a patient’s tissues which causes a speed-up in recovery.  Candidates for this therapy have a tendency to poorer circulation due to their illness and/or age. The chamber compensates for this by higher than normal pressure. Since they opened their doors a month ago, the wound care center has had two patients already discharged because their chronically open wounds have since healed.

It is important to note, says Dr. Khateeb, that not every patient that comes into the center is a viable candidate. Each patient is put through a screening process that tests the wound, the patient and their overall condition, and their ability to tolerate the chamber.  But, the center can admit a variety of patients from diabetic patients to people recovering from plastic surgery.

Mario Macias, program director for the Wound Care center, states that this center is the only one of its kind in east El Paso.  It is beneficial to note that the center maintains an El Paso- exclusive affiliation with Diversified Clinical Services. DCS keeps the Sierra Providence center updated with the latest updates in the fields of wound care and hyperbaric technology.  “We are happy that everything comes together here to give our patients the best up-to-date technology which allows us to give them the best care.  The two patients that have been released after only a month of treatment healed well and ahead of schedule. “

There were several hospital doctors, nurses and directors in attendance for the festivities. Hospital staff members were encouraged to visit the center to understand the capabilities of this newest tool in the Sierra Providence Healthcare Network arsenal. Gloria Loera, Director of Women’s Services at the hospital was in attendance. “We work with educating women about their health and healthcare. Women are, of course, not specific candidates for this treatment, but we keep an eye out for new treatments for our patients, and now we can also be more aware of patients that can benefit from this kind of treatment.”