Sonora, CA…April is both National Foot Health Awareness Month and Limb Loss Awareness Month. The experts at Healogics and the Center for Wound Care at Sonora Regional Medical Center are reminding people to take a moment to stand up for their feet. The Center for Wound Care treats chronic foot and leg wounds that are often caused by underlying conditions such as diabetes. It is estimated that 25 percent of the 29.1 million people living with diabetes will develop a diabetic foot ulcer and without treatment the wounds can lead to amputation or death.

“The estimated cost of diabetes in the United States is currently $245 billion, and includes medical costs, disability, work loss and premature death,” said D. Scott Covington, MD, FACS, chief medical officer for Healogics. “Diabetes-related amputations are also costly for the healthcare system at approximately $38,077 per amputation.”

For people with diabetes, these precautions can help prevent diabetes-related amputations:
Check your feet for sores or other injuries every day. You may have an injury, but cannot feel the pain.
Wash your feet every day and dry them with care, especially between the toes.
Trim your toenails as needed after you’ve washed and dried your feet.
Wear properly fitting shoes that do not rub or pinch your feet.
Always wear socks or stockings with your shoes, and never walk barefoot or while wearing just socks.
Physical activity can help increase circulation in your feet. Consult your healthcare team to see which physical activity is right for you.

The Center for Wound Care is part of Healogics network of nearly 800 affiliated Wound Care Centers® in the U.S., offering leading edge treatments including hyperbaric oxygen therapy, negative pressure wound therapy, bio-engineered skin substitutes, biological and biosynthetic dressings and growth factor therapies. To learn more about diabetes-related wounds or if you have a wound that will not heal, please call the Center at 209-536-5196 or visit www.SonoraMedicalCenter.org/wound-care.

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About Sonora Regional Medical Center
Sonora Regional Medical Center is a not-for-profit 152-bed health care facility including 72 acute beds, 12 swing beds, 68 skilled nursing beds and a large network of clinics, owned and operated by Adventist Health/Roseville, California. In addition to emergency and acute care services, other Sonora Regional Medical Center services include advanced cardiac care, cancer center, diagnostic imaging, home health, hospice, intensive care, obstetrics, rural health, surgical services, wellness center, wound care and hyperbaric oxygen, and over 20 primary care, urgent care and specialty clinics. The Medical Center provided care for a total of 4,951 admissions, 533 deliveries, 31,171 emergency department visits, 287,204 outpatient visits and 33,691 home care visits in 2014. Staffed by over 165 physicians, 1,421 employees, and 117 volunteers, Sonora Regional Medical Center is the largest private employer in Tuolumne County. To find a physician in the area, contact the Physician Referral Line at (209) 536-3344.

For more information about the Medical Center visit www.sonoramedicalcenter.org.

About Healogics
Headquartered in Jacksonville, Fla., Healogics is the nation’s largest provider of advanced wound care services. Healogics and its affiliated companies manage nearly 800 Wound Care Centers® in the nation and saw approximately 285,000 new patients in 2015 through a connected network of partner hospitals and Wound Care Centers, academic medical centers, and other post‐acute sites. Healogics utilizes an evidence‐based systematic approach to chronic wound healing to treat an underserved and growing patient population. A fund managed by Clayton, Dubilier & Rice, a private investment firm, is the majority shareholder of Healogics. For more information, please visit www.healogics.com.

About Adventist Health
Sonora Regional Medical Center is part of Adventist Health, a faith-based, nonprofit integrated health system serving more than 75 communities in California, Hawaii, Oregon and Washington. Our workforce of 31,000 includes more than 22,350 employees; 4,800 medical staff physicians; and 3,850 volunteers. Founded on Seventh-day Adventist heritage and values, Adventist Health provides compassionate care in 20 hospitals, more than 275 clinics (hospital-based, rural health and physician clinics), 15 home care agencies, seven hospice agencies and four joint-venture retirement centers. Adventist Health ranked #10 in Becker’s list of the largest nonprofit hospital systems in the U.S. for 2015. We invite you to visit www.AdventistHealth.org for more information.