Salem Township Hospital is working to expand services in several areas.
Hospital CEO Jim Timpe told the board Wednesday afternoon that a new wound care program is being added.
“We’re going to be partnering with Restorix, which is a wound care company,” Timpe said. “We’re going to be offering wound care center one day a week starting sometime in the new year once we get our IT pieces and provider pieces established. That will help people with chronic wounds that aren’t healing, and they’ll be able to get that treatment closer to home. Right now, they’re driving pretty far to get that done.”
There will also be an addition to the behavioral science services.
“We will be providing counseling in our behavioral health center. Right now, we have nurse practitioners already who do the medication management. Establishing your diagnosis, that kind of thing, similar to what a psychiatrist would do. We’re adding counseling as an opportunity for people that we’re seeing or others to receive verbal counseling with a provider, because that’s a real adjunct to your behavioral health outcomes.”
The outpatient infusion clinic is moving to the former dialysis service area which will give patients a more enclosed area. Timpe says the infusion space will then be used to expand the orthopedic surgery clinic which will have a fulltime surgeon beginning January 5th.
“We know a lot of people are actually having to go to St. Louis and other areas to get the care they’re looking for, so this will give them the opportunity to have that care close to home.”
The hospital board announced last month Orthopedic Surgeon Dr. James Van den Bogaerde would be joining the hospital. At the same time the board is wishing part-time surgeon Dr. Koth and his nurse practitioner the best as they leave the hospital.
Timpe also announced two new nurse practitioners have been hired for the rural health center, one a replacement, the other an addition. He reports use of the no appointment needed service is growing rapidly.
Timpe says they are currently trying to fill two nurse practitioner positions at the Whitaker Street family clinic and several open night-time positions.
