Wound Care Clinic Program Director and registered nurse Jessica Acop shares information about Maui’s only medical grade state-of-the-art hyperbaric oxygen chambers at the Maui Memorial Medical Center Wound Care and Hyperbaric Therapy on Wednesday. Photo courtesy Maui Health

The Maui News

Maui Health has opened a new outpatient facility that will offer a comprehensive approach for patients with nonhealing wounds, with treatments including hyperbaric oxygen therapy.

The Maui Memorial Medical Center Wound Care and Hyperbaric Therapy, which has been open for patient consultations since its soft opening in mid-November, celebrated its official opening on Wednesday with a reception and ribbon-cutting ceremony, Maui Health announced Thursday. The reception was also held to honor and thank the leaders of Hawaii Medical Service Association for donating $1 million in support of the clinic.

The clinic includes two state-of-the-art hyperbaric oxygen chambers, which are among only five medical-grade hyperbaric oxygen chambers in the state of Hawaii, Maui Health said.

“We are incredibly grateful to HMSA for their commitment to Maui County, and to ensuring we have these critical services available for our community,” said Maui Health CEO Mike Rembis, who recently announced plans to retire in the spring. “With our new state-of-the-art equipment and advanced wound care, patients no longer need to travel off island for treatment, avoiding unnecessary travel time and costs, and stay close to home — near their loved ones, which is so important for healing.”

The Wound Care and Hyperbaric Therapy clinic team features physicians, nurses and technicians with advanced training in wound care and hyperbaric oxygen, which promotes healing by increasing the level of oxygen in the tissue and improving the healing efficiency of the white blood cells. It’s administered in a hyperbaric chamber that delivers 100 percent oxygen with increased atmospheric pressure, stimulating the entire body’s natural healing responses. Patients who are prescribed this therapy typically require treatment five days a week for two-hour sessions.

Maui Health said the chambers offer complete privacy and are equipped with televisions and speakers for entertainment. They also include a two-way phone system for patients to communicate with the hyperbaric oxygen technician, who supervises the patient from outside the chamber for the entire duration of the treatment.

Especially beneficial for diabetic patients with nonhealing ulcers, as well as those with arterial ulcers and other types of wounds that fail to respond to conservative therapy, hyperbaric oxygen is also a treatment for conditions without open wounds, such as osteomyelitis, radionecrosis and osteoradionecrosis, according to Maui Health.

The center’s patients are examined by a multidisciplinary staff trained in wound care and evaluated for all possible physical conditions, such as diabetes, that could interfere with proper healing, Maui Health said. The care team follows evidence-based clinical pathways to determine why wounds are not healing and then develops individual treatment plans, utilizing the most effective technologies available to provide maximum healing and relief.

“Our dedicated clinical staff understands the totality of the patient from a perspective of wound healing,” said Wound Care Program Director Jessica Acop, who’s also a registered nurse. “We are working to treat not only the wound, but the underlying cause of the wound, and the patient as a whole.”

The clinic is open from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Monday through Friday. Referring physicians and patients may call the clinic directly to schedule a consultation. For more information about wound care or to schedule an appointment, call (808) 986-4500 or visit mauihealth.org/woundcare.