About pressure injuries

Anyone who cannot easily change position is at risk, at any age. That includes people recovering from a hip fracture or major surgery, people with a spinal cord injury or advanced multiple sclerosis who use a wheelchair full time, people weakened by a stroke, and people in the later stages of dementia or another serious illness.

Loss of feeling matters as much as loss of movement. Someone with nerve damage may not notice the ache that tells the rest of us to shift. Very thin people have less padding over bone. People who wear oxygen tubing, splints, braces or casts can develop the same kind of injury wherever a device presses on skin. Several of these risks often appear together in one person.

What the treating clinician looks at

Where a pressure injury sits says a lot about what caused it, and the treating clinician reads the location as a clue:

  • Tailbone or buttocks: long hours sitting, or lying with the head of the bed raised
  • Heels: lying on the back with the feet resting on the mattress
  • Hip or outer ankle: time spent on one side
  • Ears, nose or cheeks: pressure from tubing or a mask
  • Back of the head or shoulder blades: lying flat for long stretches

The clinician then looks at the bed, chair or device involved and asks about the daily routine. A care plan that leaves the source of pressure unchanged is unlikely to succeed, whatever dressing is chosen.

Arranging this care in Collinsville

Some people in Collinsville have long crossed the river to St. Louis for specialty care. With a pressure injury, that trip means extended sitting in a car and then a clinic chair, which works against the wound. Gateway can check whether a partner clinician is available to visit the home or facility on the Illinois side instead. Coverage and the treating provider are confirmed before the visit, and records from hospitals in either state are gathered for the clinician.

Collinsville sits on the bluffs at the eastern edge of the American Bottom, with Interstate 55/70 along its northwest side and Interstate 255 just beyond. Most of the city is in Madison County, and its southern end reaches into St. Clair County. The highways make it a commuter town, yet plenty of residents have lived here for decades and plan to stay. For someone with a slow-healing wound or several chronic conditions, the ride to an appointment can be the hardest part of the week. Care arranged at home or in a facility removes that trip.

When care happens at home

Many people with a pressure injury at home also have a home health agency involved. When that is the case, the wound orders from the treating clinician need to reach the home health nurse, and the nurse’s observations need to reach the clinician. Gateway helps pass that information in both directions so the family is not left carrying messages.

If no home health agency is in place, tell us who is available to help: a spouse, adult children, a paid aide or no one. The treating clinician can decide whether to order home health nursing, and the plan can be shaped around the help that really exists.

For residents of nursing and senior living communities

In a skilled nursing facility, pressure injury care is a shared job. Facility nurses do the daily dressing changes and repositioning, the attending physician oversees the resident’s overall care, and a partner wound clinician can see the resident on site, often during scheduled wound rounds.

After each visit, measurements, staging and updated orders go to the nursing team so the chart and care plan match what the clinician found. Gateway coordinates the rounding schedule, the list of residents to be seen and the supply follow-up. Staff can also call Gateway between rounds when a resident’s wound changes.

Changes to report

Some of the most useful reports are not about the wound at all. They are about changes that put more pressure or moisture on the skin. Let the treating clinician know when:

  • A new area of discolored skin appears somewhere else on the body
  • The person can no longer shift, turn or tolerate a position they used before
  • Incontinence starts or gets worse, or dressings keep getting soiled
  • An air mattress, cushion or heel protector stops working or is not being used
  • Eating or drinking drops off, or weight is falling

These are not emergencies. Call 911 for chest pain, trouble breathing, heavy bleeding or sudden unresponsiveness.

Why primary care matters here

A new pressure injury is often a sign that a person’s overall health has changed. Perhaps they have become weaker, are sleeping most of the day, or a long illness such as dementia or cancer has advanced. Caring for the wound without asking why it appeared now misses part of the picture.

That is the reason Gateway arranges wound care and primary care side by side. The primary care clinician can reassess the person’s conditions, talk with the family about goals and bring in palliative or hospice care if that fits. The wound clinician can then match the wound plan to those goals, whether that means working toward closure or keeping the person comfortable.

Primary care at home in Collinsville →

Arranging pressure injury care in Collinsville

Clinicians and facility staff referring a patient for pressure injury care in Collinsville can call 314-325-0126 or fax 314-786-7966. Helpful to include: demographics and insurance, the working diagnosis, recent wound notes and measurements, current orders, the medication list and relevant test results. Please also tell us who should receive the treating clinician’s notes afterward. The online referral form takes contact details only, so clinical records should come by fax, not through the form. Gateway confirms that the referral arrived, checks availability for the patient’s address and lets your office know what has been scheduled.

When you call 314-325-0126 about care in Collinsville, have the street address and ZIP code (62234), a phone number, the name of the patient’s regular doctor and any discharge papers within reach. Tell us whether the patient lives in a house, an apartment or a facility. Gateway also arranges care in Glen Carbon, Edwardsville, Granite City, Fairview Heights and Belleville, so relatives in neighboring towns can be discussed in the same call. Visit availability depends on the location and care setting, and we confirm it before anything is scheduled.

  • County: Madison County, Illinois
  • ZIP codes: 62234
  • Nearby hospitals: Anderson Hospital in Maryville; HSHS St. Elizabeth's Hospital in O'Fallon, Illinois; Gateway Regional Medical Center in Granite City (not affiliated with Gateway)
  • Nearby communities: Glen Carbon, Fairview Heights, Edwardsville, Granite City, Belleville, Illinois
  • Care settings: Private homes, skilled nursing, assisted living, memory care and rehabilitation

Related care in Collinsville

Read the full guide to pressure injuries, or see everything Gateway arranges on the mobile wound care in Collinsville page.

Common questions

Does Gateway work with nursing homes and assisted living communities in Collinsville?

Yes. Gateway arranges for partner clinicians to see residents with pressure injuries in skilled nursing, assisted living, memory care and rehabilitation settings, either one resident at a time or through regular wound rounds. Facility staff can refer a resident, and families can ask the facility to contact us. Availability for a specific building is confirmed when the request comes in.

Will insurance pay for pressure injury care or a special mattress in Collinsville?

It depends on the plan, the treating provider and the care that is needed. You can ask us about Medicare, Medicare Advantage, Medicaid and commercial plans, and we will help you find out what applies before a visit. Equipment such as a support surface usually requires a clinician’s order and supporting documentation, and each plan sets its own rules.

Does a bed sore mean someone was neglected?

Not necessarily. Many pressure injuries can be prevented with good positioning, skin care and equipment, and it is reasonable to ask how one developed. But they can also occur despite attentive care, especially in people who are very ill, very thin or near the end of life. The useful questions are what the plan is now and who is carrying out each part.

Several hospitals are close to Collinsville. Does Gateway need to know which one treated me?

It helps. Knowing whether you were at Anderson Hospital in Maryville, HSHS St. Elizabeth’s Hospital in O’Fallon, Illinois or Gateway Regional Medical Center in Granite City tells us where to ask for discharge records and orders. The discharge date is useful too. Gateway Wound Care is not affiliated with these hospitals. The treating clinician reviews the hospital records before deciding on a plan.

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.