By Cara Spilsbury
Haverhill has a large population of seniors and baby boomers and a higher than normal percentage of diabetics, so Merrimack Valley Hospital is gearing services to not only fulfill their needs, but be at the forefront in providing services.
In the coming months, Merrimack Valley Hospital will open a state-of-the-art wound care center and an outpatient endoscopy program that is less invasive because it uses digital mammography.
"We've got big plans here," said hospital Chief Executive Officer Michael Collins.
The wound care center will primarily benefit elders and diabetics, as well as those who have problems with circulation, sores and ulcers. These wounds often need surgical intervention, constant monitoring, and certain dressings to remedy them. If not, they can turn into serious problems for patients.
"Sometimes a simple wound can turn into a life-threatening problem," Collins said. "It's a big issue for diabetics and a problem for elders who are bed-ridden."
New research suggests that the best way to treat these wounds is through hyperbaric therapy — a technology that uses 100 percent pressurized oxygen. A patient is entirely enclosed in a chamber and breathes oxygen while the chamber pressure is increased to greater than that of the atmosphere.
"It definitely promotes healing and the wounds improve," Collins said.
The wound care center will feature two such chambers. It will be located within the hospital itself, or in the attached medical office building. The center will have physicians assigned to it, serving patients in approximately 3,000 square feet of space. It will be open Monday through Friday.
Other challenges in the health care industry are the increasing numbers of cases of obesity and diabetes, and both contribute to the need for better wound treatment.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the prevalence of obesity more than doubled from 15 percent from 1976 to 1980, to 32.9 percent from 2003 to 2004. The CDC aims to reduce the prevalence of obesity to below 15 percent nationally by 2010, but its research indicates the situation is worsening, not improving.
The American Diabetes Association says 20.8 million children and adults — 7 percent of the population — have diabetes. But according to Collins, the number could be as high as 9.4 percent in Haverhill. If not managed properly, the disease can cause blindness and loss of limbs.
Americans are also living longer, meaning that more people are requiring more care in their later years. The average life expectancy of a baby born in the United States in 1900 was 47 years. In 2004, AARP research said the average life span of an American was 77.2 years, a number that has increased by three months every year since the mid-19th century. According to the World Bank, the current world average is 67 years.
The elderly are susceptible to wounds that refuse to heal because many are bed-ridden or in nursing homes. With age, cells don't have the resiliency they once had.
"The older you get, things don't heal as quickly," Collins said, adding that even though he is only in his early 50s, he is already finding it takes him longer to recover from injuries sustained by slipping on ice or playing basketball.
As Americans age, physicians recommend that they get checked regularly for many diseases, and Merrimack Valley Hospital will soon introduce outpatient endoscopy services that use digital mammography. The technology will help doctors identify problem spots as they send a tube through the body to check on the interior surfaces of organs — a minimally invasive procedure. Endoscopy can be used in the gastrointestinal tract, the respiratory tract, the urinary tract and other parts of the body.
The use of digital mammography and a computer will help highlight issues a doctor may have previously missed with the naked eye. As the doctors look for polyps, for example, the computer may alert them to an area that needs attention. Then the doctors can biopsy the section and determine what it is.
Having an endoscopy program that is more complete and less invasive is important to Merrimack Valley Hospital because of the changes in medical care. Patients want to be out faster because it's more convenient and cheaper. And insurance companies are urging hospitals to discharge patients faster than ever.
"Hospitals are shifting more and more toward outpatient services," Collins said. "In 1979, when I had cartilage removed from my right knee, I was in the hospital for seven days and I had a nasty scar. Today, I'd have a small hole and I'd be out in four hours or less."
Outpatient services are not only about reducing costs. The new technologies at Merrimack Valley Hospital are helping to make advanced surgeries seem as simple as getting a tooth pulled.
"The next 10 years are going to be amazing," Collins said of the advances in medical care. "But none of it comes without cost."
Collins said hospitals had to become more efficient because people can't afford to stay. "A hospital used to be a place to get better. Now, they're a place to get treated," he said.
