Tenet Health Central Coast Opens San Luis Obispo County’s First Wound Care Clinic Tenet Health Central Coast has opened San Luis Obispo County’s first Wound Care Clinic. The clinic, which is at Twin Cities Community Hospital in Templeton, is already making an impact on the advanced treatment options for chronic and non-healing wounds because physicians now can have their patients treated locally.
comprehensive care that is coordinated with them.”
Michelle Ribas, M.D., directs the clinic and is passionate about providing wound care that can prevent dire or severe outcomes.
Chronic wounds are a persistent issue in all communities and can have a devastating effect on a patient’s quality of life. While it is significant that persistent wounds can limit a person’s ability to gain or maintain employment, it is tremendously impactful for those already with a chronic condition, such as diabetes, because these types of wounds can hamper the ability to sustain medical care for their other health problems. According to a study published in the Journal of Clinic Nursing in 2018, those living with chronic wounds are often so frustrated that it can lead to feelings of distrust toward clinicians, which can lead to issues of health regimen compliance.
“One of the most important aspects of this clinic is the close geography: doctors do not have to send their patients outside the area for wound care anymore. This is significant for patients because, if it is too hard to get to a wound care clinic, they may not go at all, and then end up returning to the hospital unnecessarily,” said Dr. Ribas. “We are new, so we want physicians, dieticians, vascular surgeons, and all those that work with patients that may have chronic wound conditions to know that we are here to help with local and
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CENTRAL COAST PHYSICIANS
The clinic treats a wide variety of conditions that include non-healing wounds associated with diabetes, cancerpatient complications from radiation treatments, venostasis, trauma complications and pressure sores.
Winter 2020
