Cesar Larios

Pressure ulcers that develop into serious wounds can be a major problem for skilled nursing facilities. Without the proper clinical expertise, the affected resident is likely to be sent to a hospital, driving up costs along with stress levels.

That was the situation Mesa Glen Care Center Director of Nursing Cesar Larios faced before adopting the Skilled Wound Care program 10 years ago. Created as an alternative protocol of care in long-term care facilities, the program offers visiting physician specialists to treat wounds in the nursing home.

“When we had wounds we didn’t understand, we didn’t have the resources to evaluate them, so residents had to be sent out to the hospital,” Larios says.

By having their complex wounds treated in the facility, residents at Glendora, CA-based Mesa Glen have shown faster recovery rates and improved wound healing, he notes.