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Wound Clinic 
 A unique service to Boone County Hospital is the Wound Clinic. Wound care has been offered by specialists at the hospital for more than 20 years. The Wound Clinic staff consists of three wound care nurses—(pictured left to right) Char Wilkening, CWS, Cathy Wetzeler, CWOCN (Certified Wound Ostomy Continence Nurse) and Ruth Anderson, CWS (Certified Wound Care Specialist). In addition to working in the Wound Clinic, Ruth works in Home Care and Cathy provides wound consults on the floor, contracts with the in-town nursing homes and is an instructor at the Des Moines Area Community College. Char is a retired BCH nurse that works in the clinic on Thursdays.
Wounds can be caused by a number of things including accidents, burns, traumatic injuries, various ulcers, and can also be a result of surgery. The nurses in the clinic perform wound assessments and determine treatment plans under the direction of Dr. Richard Unger, Wound Clinic Medical Director. They typically see 15 to 20 patients on Thursday; one to four patients on Monday. Patients come from Boone County and surrounding areas.
Through the years, the BCH Wound Clinic nurses have become nationally known. Each year, they are asked by a medical device company called Southwest Technologies Inc. to make an abstract and present their findings at a national wound care conference. The abstract includes information on a specific product they are using on several of their patients, the objectives, the rationale, case studies and a conclusion, as well as before and after pictures of the wounds.
Individuals with wounds are often referred to the Wound Clinic by their physician. The Wound Clinic is open on Thursdays and as needed any other day of the week. The staff is available to make presentations and will do inservices if requested. For more information, contact the Wound Clinic at (515) 433-8337. |
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