To meet the increasing demand for wound care in the community, RiverView Health recently expanded its wound care services with the addition of a new provider and the certification of another.
Hannah Reski, PA-C, now offers wound care services in the clinic setting. She joins Brittni Johnson, PT, DPT, CWS, who has provided wound care services through RiverView’s Rehab Services and Home Care Departments for several years. Reski is no stranger to wound care. As an orthopaedic physician assistant with RiverView since early 2024, part of her duties include post-operative care for patients in Crookston, East Grand Forks, and Thief River Falls. The move to expand wound care services to the clinic setting allows Reski to extend those services beyond orthopaedic patients.
“As an orthopedic PA, I’ve seen firsthand how proper wound care can dramatically improve the course of healing and the patient outcomes,” Reski shared. “I’m excited to partner with Brittni to continue to provide excellent and accessible wound care for the community.”
Quicker Access, Better Outcomes
Caitlyn Michno, director of Rehab Services, said adding Reski’s expertise will go a long way in fulfilling the community’s need for wound care services. “Hannah’s clinical role will allow patients to have direct access to wound care consultations, which means we will be able to diagnose wounds and determine a course of treatment sooner,” Michno reported. “This will also allow for quicker access to the wound care interventions that Brittni provides in the Rehab Services Department. The sooner we can diagnose and treat a wound, the better the outcomes for the patient.”
The CWS (Certified Wound Specialist) credentials Johnson recently earned are evidence of her commitment to staying up-to-date on the latest techniques to aid in her patients’ care. Johnson averages more than 85 monthly wound care treatments in her physical therapy practice at RiverView. She treats patients in the hospital, in their homes through Home Care, and in the outpatient setting in Rehab Services.
Acute or Chronic
Depending on the healing time, a wound is classified as acute or chronic. Acute wounds typically heal without complications within a predictable timeframe. Chronic wounds can take a relatively long time to heal, often with complications. A chronic wound is a wound that has failed to progress through a standard, orderly sequence of repair in a timely manner. Although there is no clear consensus on the duration of a chronic wound, a range of four weeks to three months has been used to define the term “chronic.’’
The impact of chronic wounds on the health and quality of life of those who suffer from them isimmeasurable. Patients with chronic wounds may experience chronic pain, loss of function, and mobility, increased social stress and isolation, depression and anxiety, prolonged hospitalization, increased financial burden, and increased morbidity and mortality.
The most common chronic wounds include ulcers, infectious wounds, ischemic wounds, surgical wounds, and wounds from radiation poisoning. The U.S. National Institutes of Health estimates 6.5 million people in the United States suffer from chronic wounds. As the population ages, obesity rates increase, and diabetes cases climb, chronic wound cases are also expected to rise.
Treatment Plans Specific to the Patient, Wound
To provide the most comprehensive care, Reski and Johnson work to learn how each patient’s wound came about and teach them how to prevent future wounds. A specific treatment plan is designed for each patient, determined by the type of wound they have. “My patients see the wounds improving, and in turn, are more compliant to my recommendations, whether it be regarding daily foot assessment, limb elevation and compression, hydration, or management of underlying diseases,” Johnson shared.
The list of wounds treated at RiverView is long, including
Pressure ulcers
Dehisced wounds/post-surgical complications
Vascular wounds
Neuropathic wounds
Wounds associated with Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus
Traumatic wounds with and without surgeries
Skin biopsy complications
Burns
Amputations
To schedule an appointment for wound care, call 281.9595.
Left to right: Brittni Johnson, PT, DPT, CWS, and Hannah Reski, PA-C, team up to offer wound care services at RiverView.