Knapp Medical Center in Weslaco offers specialized care for diabetes, other patients with slow-healing wounds or ulcers
Weslaco – April is National Foot Health Awareness Month, and Rio Grande Valley patients are urged to work with their healthcare providers to prevent chronic wounds — such as diabetic foot ulcers — which can lead to tragic amputations if not treated in a timely manner.
In the Mid-Valley area, specialized foot and wound care is available at the Advanced Wound Healing Center at Knapp Medical Center in Weslaco.
In some cases, this important treatment for non-healing wounds can help save the patient’s limbs — by preventing patients from having to have their foot or toe amputated. Tragically, amputations can make the patient become unable to work or perform other functions at a relatively-young age. In many cases, this is caused by complications of diabetes, which is widespread in the Valley’s Hispanic population.
The Advanced Wound Healing Center at Knapp is a comprehensive outpatient center which cares for patients with wounds that are either not healing or healing slowly. The center provides a thorough diagnostic examination of each patient’s wounds. A comprehensive and individualized treatment plan is then developed and communicated to referring physicians.
The wound healing center periodically evaluates and re-adjusts treatment plans as necessary, in order to achieve the most beneficial outcomes for patients.
The spacious center features an interdisciplinary team of dedicated professionals, led by Dr. Alejandro Hernandez, Hyperbaric Medicine & Wound Care Physician and Medical Director, along with other physicians with advanced training in comprehensive wound management and hyperbaric oxygen therapy.
The team also includes nursing and clinical staff trained in the care of acute and chronic wounds, and hyperbaric oxygen therapy — as well as experienced clerical staff members to assist patients with appointments, medical records and the health insurance process.
Services of the Knapp wound center include:
Wound Debridement (Sharp and Enzymatic Debridement)
• Therapeutic Dressings / Compression Therapy
• Living Skin Equivalent and Dermal Skin Grafting
• Treatments for Wound Infections
• Contact Casting and Pressure Off-Loading Devices & Techniques
• Negative Pressure Wound Therapy
• Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy
• Wound Cultures and Biopsy
• Non-invasive Vascular Studies
• Nutritional Counseling / Patient & Family Education
In 2023, the Advanced Wound Healing Center at Knapp underwent a major expansion, adding seven new large, private treatment rooms – as well as a new and larger hyperbaric oxygen therapy chamber — said Yadhyra Mendez, RN, BSN, WCC, Director of Wound Care for Knapp Medical Center.
Knapp’s new hyperbaric oxygen chamber provides more space for patients, increasing their comfort, so they don’t feel so enclosed or claustrophobic. Hyperbaric chambers are clear, so patients can see out — and Knapp’s upgraded chamber can accommodate all sizes of patients, up to 700 pounds.
Patients are evaluated before they go into the chamber, continuously monitored while receiving oxygen therapy, and evaluated again when coming out of the chamber.
“The new chamber enhances care for patients needing hyperbaric treatment here in the Valley,” Dr. Hernandez added.
The wound healing center is located on the north side of Knapp Medical Center (off of E. 6th Street and S. Hospital Drive in Weslaco, near Sander Pharmacy). The center is open Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Depending on their insurance provider, patients may or may not need a referral from a physician to receive services. For more information on scheduling appointments, please call 956-969-5185. More information on wound care that renews and heals is also available online, at: www.knappmed.org/our-services/the-wound-center-at-knapp/