Laughlin Memorial Hospital has announced the opening of a new center to provide wound care and hyperbaric medicine.

The Laughlin Center for Wound Care, which is now open for patients, is located at 1406 Tusculum Boulevard, suite 2004, adjacent to the main hospital facility.

A ribbon-cutting ceremony to officially celebrate the new center will be held this Friday at 10 a.m. (The event was rescheduled from Jan. 25 due to the ice storm that day.)

The hospital's new center specializes in the treatment of problem wounds, a growing issue spurred by the aging of America and the increase in diabetes, hospital officials say in a news release.

"Approximately 25 million Americans have diabetes and about 8 million suffer from a problem wound," the release says.

"For most people, cuts and scratches heal within days or weeks. But for those whose natural healing process is hampered, a simple sore can become a complex medical problem requiring specialized care," the release says.

The Laughlin Center for Wound Care is an out-patient, hospital-based program that works in conjunction with the patient's primary care physician, serving as an adjunctive service for the referring physician and specializing in the treatment of problem wounds, the release says.

The center is open Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. until 5 p.m.

Greeneville surgeon Stephen Flohr, MD is serving as the program's medical director, while also continuing his general surgery practice, the release says.

"A team of experienced wound-care physicians, including Dr. Mark Patterson, Dr. Natalie Scott, Dr. Kevin Strohmeyer and Dr. Jim Rodgers will coordinate an overall care plan for each patient, working in partnership with the patient's referring physician," the release says.

"We are very pleased to be able to provide this much-needed addition to our program at Laughlin Memorial Hospital," Dr. Flohr said in the release.

"Our entire multidisciplinary team of physicians and nurses are trained to provide comprehensive treatment and care," he added.

"Our program is completely devoted to healing problem wounds, and helping our patients to reclaim their quality of life," said the program's director Ron Gobble in the release.

"The majority of the patients who are treated at the program do not require hyperbaric oxygen therapy," he explained. "However, those who do receive the treatment, have high healing rates because the process delivers high concentrations of oxygen to the blood stream and the wound bed, which rapidly accelerates the healing process."

For more details about the program or to schedule an appointment, call 783-5500.