Wound care at home in Arnold

Cross the Meramec River on Interstate 55 and the first city you reach is Arnold, the largest in Jefferson County. Subdivisions spread over the hills on both sides of the interstate, and Jeffco Boulevard carries much of the local traffic. For daily errands Arnold is self-contained, but a good deal of specialty care sits north of the river in St. Louis County. For someone with a wound that needs frequent attention, or for a caregiver who works, that bridge crossing adds up. Care that comes to the home or facility takes the trip out of the week.

Housing in Arnold ranges from older ranch homes near the center of town to newer subdivisions, townhomes, apartment complexes and manufactured home communities. Hilly lots and sloped driveways are part of the landscape. The area also has senior apartments, assisted living and skilled nursing and rehabilitation centers. Gateway arranges partner clinician visits in all of these. For a home visit we ask about entry steps and where the patient rests. For a facility resident we coordinate with the director of nursing or the unit staff so orders reach the people carrying them out.

Gateway arranges the same kind of visit across the region. Read more about mobile wound care in St. Louis.

Gateway arranges wound care in St. Louis across the city, the county and the Metro East, and Arnold is part of that area.

When the visit comes to the home

Getting to a wound clinic again and again is hard when walking hurts, when you use a wheelchair or when the person who drives you works days. Wound care at home in Arnold is meant for those situations. Gateway arranges for a partner clinician to see you where you live, whether that is a house, an apartment or a senior living building. It often suits people who:

  • have a leg, foot or pressure wound that makes travel painful or unsafe
  • are recovering from surgery or a hospital stay
  • depend on a relative or a ride service for every appointment

The treating clinician decides whether home visits fit your wound and what the plan should be.

For residents of senior living and nursing facilities

Rehabilitation stays are short and busy, and a wound can get lost between therapy sessions. For patients in rehabilitation centers in Arnold, Gateway arranges wound visits around the therapy schedule, so the clinician can see the wound without costing the patient a session. The other priority is the next move. Before discharge, we ask where the patient is going, who will do dressing changes there and whether supplies and orders are in place. If follow-up at home or in a long-term care setting is wanted, it can be requested before the patient leaves, so the plan started in rehab continues with the same information.

Types of wounds

Wounds that are slow to heal usually have a cause behind them, such as pressure, swelling, poor circulation or diabetes. Finding that cause is where the treating clinician begins. These are the wound types Gateway helps arrange care for in Arnold, at home and in facilities.

See every wound condition and all wound care services.

Coming home from the hospital

Arnold residents commonly use three hospitals: Mercy Hospital South just north of the Meramec, Mercy Hospital Jefferson in Festus down Interstate 55, and SSM Health St. Clare Hospital in Fenton, reached by Route 141. Gateway has no affiliation with them. If you are a family member, tell us which hospital and the expected discharge date, and we will request records. If you are a discharge planner, fax the referral with the face sheet and wound orders. We then check availability in 63010 and arrange the first follow-up visit with a treating clinician.

Nearby hospitals, skilled nursing and assisted living

People in Arnold often know these places by name. The list is drawn from public directories so you can get your bearings.

  • Hospitals nearby: Mercy Hospital South; Mercy Hospital Jefferson in Festus; SSM Health St. Clare Hospital in Fenton
  • Skilled nursing and rehabilitation nearby: Woodland Manor Nursing Center (Arnold 63010); South County Health Care Center (Arnold 63010); Crystal Oaks (Festus 63028); Maple Grove Wellness & Rehabilitation (Fenton 63026)
  • Assisted living and memory care nearby: Meadowview Memory Care (Arnold 63010); Pine Valley at the Woodlands (Arnold 63010); Cedarhurst of Arnold (Arnold 63010)

Gateway is not affiliated with any facility listed here, and a listing does not mean a partnership or referral relationship. If the patient lives in one of them, tell us its name when you call so we can contact the right nurse or front desk.

Sources: Medicare Care Compare nursing home data (CMS) and the Missouri DHSS long-term care directory.

Primary care at home in Arnold

People with long-standing wounds often take many medications ordered by several different offices. Some medicines can affect healing, swelling or the risk of falls, and it may be that no one is looking at the full list. When Gateway arranges primary care follow-up in Arnold, a medication review by the treating clinician is a typical part of it. Do not stop or change anything on your own. Keep an up-to-date list, including over-the-counter products, and have it out at every visit.

Primary care at home in Arnold →

Getting care in Arnold

Before you call about care in Arnold, write down the patient’s address and the nearest cross street, the best phone number, the insurance cards on hand and the name of the doctor who knows them best. If a home health agency is already involved, tell us that as well. Because Arnold sits at the top of Jefferson County, visits here can be planned together with nearby Imperial, Oakville, Mehlville and Fenton. Addresses farther into Jefferson County are welcome too, and availability is confirmed case by case.

Visits are confirmed by location and care setting, so call 314-325-0126 with your ZIP code to ask about your address.

Prefer not to start with a phone call? Use the request care form. It asks only for a name and a phone number, so please leave medical details out of it. Someone from Gateway calls back, and that conversation is where you explain the wound, the address in Arnold and any insurance questions. You can also call us directly at 314-325-0126. Either way, the next steps are the same: we confirm whether a partner clinician can see the patient in that location, collect the records the clinician will want and schedule the first visit with you.

  • County: Jefferson County, Missouri
  • ZIP codes: 63010
  • Care settings: Private homes, skilled nursing, assisted living, memory care and rehabilitation

Nearby: Jefferson County, Oakville, Imperial, Fenton, Mehlville

Insurance and coverage

People with Original Medicare can ask Gateway what to expect before a wound care visit at home or in a facility. Have your red, white and blue card and any supplement (Medigap) card with you on the call. Good questions to ask about Medicare include:

  • Does the treating provider participate with Medicare?
  • What part of the cost might be my responsibility?
  • Are dressings and supplies handled separately from the visit?

The answers depend on the provider and the care ordered, so they are confirmed case by case.

Common questions

Does Gateway arrange visits south of the Meramec River in Arnold?

Yes. Gateway’s region includes Jefferson County, and Arnold sits at the county’s northeast corner on Interstate 55. You can ask about care in a private home, an apartment or a care facility anywhere in the 63010 ZIP code. When you call, we check whether a visit is available for the specific address and care setting, since availability depends on location.

Arnold is in Jefferson County, not St. Louis County. Can I still ask about my insurance?

Yes. Living in Jefferson County does not stop you from asking. People in Arnold can ask about Medicare, Medicare Advantage, Medicaid and commercial plans. Participation and benefits depend on the patient’s plan, the treating provider and the care needed, so we cannot tell you in advance what a plan will pay for. We can explain what to ask your plan and what the treating practice will need.

Can a caregiver who works in St. Louis arrange care for a parent in Arnold by phone?

Yes. A son or daughter can make the first call from anywhere. Give us your parent’s name, address and phone number, and tell us who should be the main contact. With the patient’s permission, we can keep you updated on scheduling and next steps, so you do not need to be in Arnold for every visit. Please keep medical details out of the web form.

My mother is in a rehabilitation center in Arnold and will go home soon. Can follow-up continue at her house?

It can be requested. If a treating clinician is already seeing her in the facility through Gateway, tell us the planned discharge date and her home address so we can check availability there. If she is not yet a patient, you or the facility’s social worker can start the request. The clinician decides the plan of care in each setting, and we move the records with her.

Does the patient have to be homebound to get wound care at home in Arnold?

Not necessarily. “Homebound” is a term health plans use mainly for home health agency services. A visit from a treating clinician is a different service, and whether it fits depends on the patient’s condition, the plan and the provider. If leaving home is difficult, painful or unsafe, tell us what makes it so. Gateway passes that to the treating provider, who confirms what applies for an address in Arnold.

Can I call Gateway about a parent who lives in Arnold?

Yes. Adult children, spouses, friends and paid caregivers are welcome to call, including relatives who live in another city or state. Tell us the patient’s name, their address in Arnold and your relationship. We will want to confirm that the patient, or their legal decision-maker, agrees to the request and to our sharing updates with you. After that, you can be the main contact for scheduling if the patient wants that.

General information to help you talk with your own clinician. It is not medical advice, and the treating clinician makes every clinical decision. For a medical emergency, call 911.