About non-healing wounds
Several common beliefs about slow wounds do not hold up. One is that a wound should be left open to the air to dry out and scab. For most chronic wounds clinicians aim for a moist, protected surface instead, though the choice of dressing is theirs to make. Another is that no pain means no problem. People with nerve damage can have a serious wound and feel almost nothing.
A third mistake is treating a wound that will not heal as a normal part of getting older. Age slows repair, but age alone does not keep a wound open. And many families assume a stronger cream is the missing piece, when the real barrier is pressure, swelling or blood flow that no ointment can correct.
What the treating clinician looks at
Part of building the plan is agreeing on the goal. For most people the goal is full closure, and the plan is aimed at removing whatever stands in the way. For some, especially people who are very frail or whose circulation cannot be improved, the treating clinician may talk with the patient and family about a different aim: keeping the wound stable, clean, comfortable and free of infection.
Either way, the clinician explains what they found, what they think is holding the wound back and what they recommend. You should come away knowing what the plan is, who does what, and how you will be able to tell whether it is working.
Arranging this care in Wildwood
In many households in Wildwood, the person helping with wound care leaves early for work and gets home late. A dressing plan that needs midday attention will not hold up. Tell us the real schedule, and the treating clinician can consider dressings with longer wear times, home health nursing or a different routine. We can set up visits so a family member joins by phone, and we send a plain summary afterward. Newer senior living communities in the area can be visited too, and we ask their staff what they are able to assist with.
Wildwood covers a wide stretch of wooded hills at the far western edge of St. Louis County, where subdivisions give way to horse properties, creek valleys and parkland such as Babler State Park and Rockwoods Reservation. Highway 100 and Highway 109 are the main roads, and much of the rest is winding two-lane. The nearest hospitals and most clinics are a drive east. That distance is easy to accept until someone in the household has a wound that needs regular checks. Care arranged at home turns a long outing into a knock at the door.
When care happens at home
Many people with a long-standing wound already have a home health agency involved. When that is the case, the partner clinician and the agency nurses work from the same orders. The nurses carry out dressing changes and report measurements, and the clinician adjusts the plan at each visit. Gateway shares visit notes with the agency so both sides see the same picture.
Supplies are the other piece. Running out of the ordered dressing and substituting whatever is in the cabinet is a common way for wounds to slip backward. We help route supply orders through the proper channel and ask about quantities before they run low.
In a facility
People arrive at a rehabilitation center after surgery, a fracture or a long illness, and some bring a wound that was already slow before the hospital stay. Rehab adds its own pressures: therapy sessions, new braces or footwear, more hours sitting up, and a discharge date approaching.
A partner clinician can reassess the wound during the stay and coordinate with the therapy and nursing teams, for example on how a brace sits near the wound. Because the stay is short, Gateway also plans the handoff: where the patient is going next, who will change dressings there, and how follow-up visits will continue after discharge.
What to report and when to call 911
Because these wounds are judged by their trend, small shifts matter. Report any of the following between visits instead of waiting for the next one:
- The wound looks wider or deeper, or a new opening appears nearby
- Black, gray or yellow tissue that was not there before
- Bone, tendon or surgical hardware visible in the base
- Bleeding at a light touch
- Fever, chills, nausea or unusual tiredness
- A dressing that will not stay in place or cannot be done as ordered
Call 911 if a foot or leg suddenly becomes cold, pale or blue, or if the person is hard to wake, breathing fast or suddenly not making sense.
Primary care and overall health
Some people with a long-standing wound have not seen a primary care clinician in a long while. Getting to an office may be the obstacle: stairs, a wheelchair, no ride, or a wound that leaks through its dressing on the way. Meanwhile blood pressure, weight, mood, sleep, tobacco use and mobility go unreviewed, and each has a hand in how skin repairs.
Gateway can arrange primary care in the same settings as wound care, including at home. One coordinated plan means fewer conflicting instructions and one place to call with questions. Each clinician still makes the decisions in their own area.
Arranging non-healing wound care in Wildwood
Before anything is scheduled, Gateway checks two things for every request for non-healing wound care in Wildwood: whether a partner clinician serves that address and care setting, and what the patient’s plan requires from the treating provider. Neither is assumed. If both line up, we arrange the visit and gather records. If something stands in the way, we say so, and our guide to following up on a request explains what to ask next. Gateway coordinates the care and does not make clinical decisions. Those belong to the treating clinician who sees the wound. Start by calling 314-325-0126, or ask a family member to call for you.
St. Luke’s Hospital in Chesterfield and Mercy Hospital St. Louis in Creve Coeur are hospitals Wildwood residents commonly use, and both are a meaningful drive from the western parts of the city. Gateway is not affiliated with either hospital. Returning for wound checks after a discharge can be tiring for the patient and the driver. Families can call us once a discharge date is known, and hospital discharge planners can refer directly. We gather records and orders and arrange follow-up with a partner clinician at home or in a facility.
- County: St. Louis County, Missouri
- ZIP codes: 63005, 63011, 63021, 63038, 63040
- Nearby hospitals: St. Luke's Hospital in Chesterfield; Mercy Hospital St. Louis in Creve Coeur (not affiliated with Gateway)
- Nearby communities: Chesterfield, Chesterfield and West County, Ballwin, Ellisville, Eureka, Franklin County
- Care settings: Private homes, skilled nursing, assisted living, memory care and rehabilitation
Related care in Wildwood
Read the full guide to non-healing wounds, or see everything Gateway arranges on the mobile wound care in Wildwood page.
- Diabetic foot ulcers
- Venous leg ulcers
- Pressure injuries and bed sores
- Arterial and mixed wounds
- Post-surgical wounds
- Reopened (dehisced) surgical wounds
- Surgical site infections
- Skin tears and traumatic wounds
- Wounds with lymphedema
- Skin graft aftercare
- Wound VAC (NPWT) follow-up
- Non-healing wound care in Chesterfield and West County
- Non-healing wound care in Ballwin
- Non-healing wound care in Franklin County
Common questions
Can a clinician come to a home in Wildwood to look at a wound that will not heal?
In many cases, yes. Gateway arranges home visits with partner clinicians across Greater St. Louis and the Metro East, and we confirm availability for your exact address and care setting before scheduling. Call 314-325-0126 or send a request with a name and phone number. You do not need a referral to ask, and a family member can call for you.
Is there someone in Wildwood who can check a relative’s wound at an assisted living or nursing facility?
Gateway arranges visits in skilled nursing, assisted living, memory care and rehabilitation settings as well as private homes. If your relative lives in a facility in Wildwood, call us with the facility name. We confirm availability for that location, coordinate with the nursing staff and attending physician, and keep you updated if you are the resident’s contact or decision-maker.
How do I start non-healing wound care in Wildwood if I do not have a referral?
Call 314-325-0126 or use the request form, which asks only for a name and phone number. Please leave medical details out of the form. We call back, ask about the wound, your location and the care setting, and confirm whether a partner clinician is available. With your permission we then request earlier records so the first visit is well informed.
Our Wildwood home is at the end of a long private drive. Does that affect a visit?
It should not prevent one, but tell us about it. Describe the turnoff, any gate or code, the driveway surface and whether there are dogs or livestock near the house. Gateway gives those notes to the partner clinician before the visit. A phone number that someone will answer on the day also helps if the clinician needs directions.
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.