Wound care at home in South County

South County is shorthand for the southern part of St. Louis County, a band of communities roughly south of Interstate 44 that reaches from the River des Peres at the city line down to the Meramec River. It includes Affton, Lemay, Mehlville, Oakville, Concord, Sappington, Green Park, Crestwood and Sunset Hills. Gravois Road, Tesson Ferry Road, Lemay Ferry Road, Telegraph Road and Lindbergh Boulevard are the roads everyone uses. People here tend to stay for life, and many are retirees. Bringing wound care and primary care to them fits the way South County lives.

Care settings in South County are varied. Affton and Lemay have small brick bungalows and older two-bedroom homes. Concord, Sappington and Mehlville are known for ranch houses. Oakville and Sunset Hills have newer and larger homes. Throughout the area there are condominiums, senior apartments, assisted living, memory care and many skilled nursing and rehabilitation centers. Gateway arranges partner clinician visits in all of them. We fit the request to the setting, whether that means a kitchen-table visit in Affton or a visit planned with the nursing staff at a facility.

The main guide to mobile wound care in St. Louis explains who it helps and how visits are arranged.

To compare options before you call, read our guide to St. Louis wound care, which covers clinics, home visits and facility care for South County and nearby communities.

Towns and communities in South County

Each local page covers ZIP codes, nearby hospitals and facilities, and how to start care in that community.

When the visit comes to the home

If a home health nurse already comes to your home in South County, wound care arranged through Gateway works alongside that service and does not replace it. The roles are different. The home health nurse usually handles dressing changes and teaching between visits. The treating wound clinician examines the wound, decides on the plan and writes or updates the orders the nurse follows. Gateway’s work on wound care alongside home health keeps the two in step: visit notes and order changes go to the agency, and the nurse’s concerns go to the clinician. If you have no home health agency, the clinician can decide whether one should be requested.

Skilled nursing, assisted living and rehabilitation

Assisted living is not a nursing home, and that matters for wounds. Assisted living communities in South County differ in how much nursing they have on site and in what their staff are permitted to do, so the first question is who will change the dressing between clinician visits. Sometimes it is the community’s nurse. Often it is a home health nurse who comes in, and sometimes a family member. For wound care in assisted living, Gateway arranges for a partner clinician to see the resident in their own apartment. We then make sure the orders reach whoever does the daily care and that staff know what to watch for and whom to call.

Types of wounds

Different wounds call for different plans. A leg ulcer caused by vein problems is managed differently from a pressure injury or a diabetic foot ulcer, which is why the type of wound matters so much. Gateway helps arrange care in South County for the conditions below.

See every wound condition and all wound care services.

Coming home from the hospital

Mercy Hospital South is the hospital most South County residents know best. SSM Health St. Clare Hospital in Fenton and St. Luke’s Des Peres Hospital are used by many people on the western and northwestern sides. None of them is affiliated with Gateway. For discharge planners, a referral by phone or email with the summary, wound orders and a family contact is enough to start. For families, one call to 314-325-0126 before or after discharge works. We then look for a partner clinician for the patient’s home or facility and confirm what happens next.

Nearby hospitals, skilled nursing and assisted living

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

  • Hospitals nearby: Mercy Hospital South; SSM Health St. Clare Hospital in Fenton; St. Luke's Des Peres Hospital
  • Skilled nursing and rehabilitation nearby: Friendship Village Sunset Hills (Sunset Hills 63127); Delmar Gardens South (St. Louis 63128); Fountain Care at Sunset Hills (St. Louis 63128); Sherbrooke Village (St. Louis 63125)
  • Assisted living and memory care nearby: Assisted Living at Charless Village (St. Louis 63129); Cedarhurst of Tesson Heights (St. Louis 63128); Friendship Village Assisted Living & Memory Care (Sunset Hills 63127)

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.

Looking after the whole patient

Already have a primary care doctor you like? Keep them. Wound care arranged through Gateway in South County does not replace your regular office. With your permission, we send the wound clinician’s visit notes and any order changes to that office and ask it for your recent labs and history. If you have no primary care clinician, or can no longer get to the one you have, tell us when you call. Arranging primary care at home is something we can look into for you.

Primary care at home in South County →

Getting care in South County

South County is a patchwork of small cities and unincorporated neighborhoods, and nearly all of them use St. Louis as the mailing city. When you call, give the ZIP code and a nearby main road so we place the address correctly. Have the patient’s phone number, doctor’s name and insurance cards with you. Gateway arranges care in Affton, Mehlville, Oakville, Crestwood, Sunset Hills and Fenton, among others. If you are helping two relatives in different parts of South County, tell us, and we will take both requests together.

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

Calling on behalf of a parent or spouse in South County is fine, and you do not need every answer. Dial 314-325-0126 and tell us who the patient is, where they live and what worries you about the wound. We will ask whether the patient knows you are calling and who should receive updates. From there, Gateway checks availability for that address, asks permission to request records and works out a visit time that suits the patient and, if you want to be present, you. If you live far from your relative, we can keep you informed by phone.

  • County: St. Louis County, Missouri
  • ZIP codes: 63123, 63125, 63126, 63127, 63128, 63129
  • Care settings: Private homes, skilled nursing, assisted living, memory care and rehabilitation

Nearby: Affton, Mehlville, Oakville, Crestwood, Sunset Hills

Coverage questions

Whether a visit is a covered benefit is the first thing most people ask, and the fair answer is that it depends. Three things decide it: the treating provider, your plan and the care that is needed. Gateway can take questions about coverage for Medicare, Medicare Advantage, Medicaid and commercial insurance, and we work with the treating provider’s office to check participation and benefits before a visit is scheduled. We tell you what we learn and what is still unknown, instead of guessing.

Common questions

What areas does Gateway mean by South County?

We use South County the way most St. Louisans do: the southern part of St. Louis County, including Affton, Lemay, Mehlville, Oakville, Concord, Sappington, Green Park, Crestwood and Sunset Hills. That covers ZIP codes 63123, 63125, 63126, 63127, 63128 and 63129. Fenton and Arnold are nearby and are covered as well. Availability is confirmed for each address and care setting.

My parents live in South County, one at home and one in a nursing facility. Can Gateway help with both?

Yes. Gateway arranges care in private homes and in skilled nursing, assisted living and memory care settings across South County, so both parents can be part of one conversation. Each parent may have a different treating clinician depending on location and needs. Tell us who the main family contact is, and with your parents’ permission we will keep that person informed about visits and orders for both.

Do patients in South County have to use Mercy Hospital South to work with Gateway?

No. Gateway is not affiliated with Mercy Hospital South or any hospital, and it does not matter where you were treated. You can ask for care after a stay at any hospital, after rehabilitation, at your doctor’s suggestion or on your own with no referral at all. We ask only for the records and orders that help the treating clinician understand your situation.

Can Gateway arrange in-home visits for someone in South County who uses a wheelchair and cannot manage stairs?

Yes. Limited mobility is one of the main reasons people ask for visits at home. Let us know that the patient uses a wheelchair, which rooms they can reach and whether a caregiver is present. That information goes to the treating clinician before the visit. If the clinician orders equipment or supplies, Gateway coordinates getting them to the South County address.

Is primary care at home available along with wound care in South County?

It can be requested in the same call. Gateway arranges in-home primary care with partner clinicians for people who have trouble getting to an office, which is often the case for someone with a wound. Tell us whether the patient in South County has a primary care clinician now. If so, we keep that office informed. If not, we look into what can be arranged for their address and plan.

Can a wound care clinician come to a private home in South County?

Yes. Gateway arranges visits from partner clinicians to houses, apartments, condos and senior apartments in South County. The clinician assesses the wound where the person lives and leaves orders for the care between visits. Whether a home visit can be set up depends on the exact address, the care needed and the treating provider, so we confirm it when you call 314-325-0126.

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.