Center for Wound Healing & Hyperbarics

Our wound care specialists have undergone advanced training by nationally recognized wound care experts. Our team are experts at using advanced therapy deemed appropriate by taking an evidence-based systematic approach to chronic wound healing. We partner with Healogics whom maintains the largest database of wounds in the world. They serve as a resource for wound care research and development of proven Clinical Practice Guidelines. Together, Healogics and our Wound Care Center team work hand in hand with community physicians to develop a comprehensive care plan for patients with chronic wounds. This results in faster wound healing vs. wounds treated with traditional wound care.

If you have any of the conditions listed below, we can help you.

Diabetic foot ulcers
Lower leg ulcers
Pressure ulcers
Bone infections (osteomyelitis)
Gangrene
Skin tears or lacerations
Radiation burns
Post-operative infected wounds
Slow or non-healing surgical wounds
Venous Insufficiency
Indications for Wound Care Treatment
Arterial disease
Diabetic foot ulcers
Edema
Ischemia
Malignancy
Necrotic debris
Osteomyelitis
Pressure ulcers
Radiation injury
Soft tissue infection
Venous disease
Varicose Veins
Failing or compromised skin/muscle grafts or flaps
Wounds over 30-days-old failing multiple treatments/therapies

Adjunct Therapies

Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy

Hyperbaric medicine (HBO), an adjunctive therapy used to enhance the healing of certain problem wounds, is available at Catawba Valley Center for Wound Healing and Hyperbarics. Delivery of this therapy involves a patient to breathe 100% oxygen while inside a pressurized chamber. This therapy stimulates a number of physiological responses in the cells and tissues, promoting wound healing.

Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy is prescribed by our trained physicians, and the costs are reimbursable through Medicare, Medicaid and most commercial insurers. The hyperbaric chambers used within our hospital wound center network are installed and managed by our team of trained technicians.

Indications for Hyperbaric Oxygen Treatment

Actinomycosis
Acute peripheral arterial insufficiency
Acute traumatic peripheral ischemia
Chronic refractory osteomyelitis
Compromised skin grafts and skin flaps
Crush injuries/suture (reattachment) of severed limbs
Diabetic wounds of the lower extremity
Gas gangrene
Osteoradionecrosis
Progressive necrotizing infections
Soft tissue radiation injury

Additional Therapies Utilized By Our Team:

Negative Pressure Therapy
Skin Substitutes (Growth Factor Therapy)
Epidermal Autografting
Debridements
Specialty Topical Treatment
Interventional Testing
Specialty Consults
Specialized Offloading

Prior to completing his residency at the University of Virginia in general surgery, Dr. Keys completed his medical degree at East Carolina University.

Dr. Blake Weeks, DPM, brings a new perspective to the Catawba Valley on the importance of proper foot care, as well as the ability to treat any foot and ankle injury.

After receiving his medical degree from the Barry University School of Podiatric Medicine, Dr. Weeks completed the Norton Kentucky Podiatric Residency Program. Prior to his medical training, he grew up in Hickory and attended the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

Dr. Weeks is certified through the American Board of Podiatric Medicine and the American College of Foot and Ankle Surgeons.

A native of South Florida, Dr. Dressler completed her vascular surgery training at Case Western/University Hospitals Cleveland Medical Center. She holds a Doctor of Medicine with distinction in Research from University of Rochester School of Medicine in Rochester, NY. While in medical school she pursued a vascular surgery research fellowship through NIH funded Clinical Translational Science Award at the Beth Israel Deaconess/Harvard Medical school focusing on diabetic wound healing.

Dr. Dressler’s clinical interest include open and endovascular aneurysms, limb salvage/critical limb ischemia, carotid revascularization and venous disease.

She is a member of the Society for Vascular Surgery and American College of Surgeons.

She and her husband Edward consider themselves foodies and enjoy traveling to different cities trying out new cuisine. Her hobbies include cooking and biking.

Dr. Kim is a board-certified vascular surgeon who completed her vascular surgery training at Case Western/University Hospitals Cleveland Medical Center in Cleveland, OH. With extensive experience in a busy hospital-based practice following the training, she specializes in various aspects of vascular surgery involving medical therapy, minimally-invasive catheter procedures, and open surgical reconstructions. She is specifically interested in limb salvage for arterial occlusive and aneurysmal diseases, carotid artery revascularization and aortic and iliac artery aneurysmal diseases. Outside of her professional life, Dr. Kim enjoys traveling, reading books and dog rescues whenever her schedule permits.

Jennifer Kahrl is certified by the National Commission on Certification of Physician Assistants (NCCPA) and has over a decade of professional experience in vascular surgery. Prior to moving to the Hickory area, she worked as a Physician Assistant at Camden-Clark Medical Center in Parkersburg, WV. Jennifer earned a Bachelor of Science Degree in Biology from Marietta College in Marietta, OH in 1994 and completed the Albany Medical College/Hudson Valley Physician Assistant Program in 1999. She maintains active affiliations with the American Academy of Physician Assistants, American Association of Surgical Physician Assistants and the Society of Vascular Surgeons. As an outdoors family, Jennifer, her husband and two sons, look forward to taking advantage of all the outdoor activities Hickory and the Catawba Valley have to offer.

Jonathan Gross is a North Carolina native who brings his experience working in the Emergency Department to Vascular Surgery. Jonathan and his wife Molly live in Hickory and he’s worked many years at Catawba Valley Medical Center. He earned his Bachelor’s degree in Exercise Physiology from East Carolina University, and his Master’s in Physician Assistant Studies from Elon University. Outside of work, Jonathan is a family man who enjoys completing DIY projects around the house and a good movie.

A Hickory native, Dr. Bools graduated from the University of North Carolina School of Medicine in Chapel Hill. She completed her general surgery internship and residency at New Hanover Regional Medical Center in Wilmington, NC, and a clinical fellowship in vascular surgery at University of Tennessee Medical Center in Knoxville. She is extensively trained in performing minimally invasive procedures that offer faster recovery time and less discomfort than conventional surgery. A second generation physician, Dr. Bools joins her father serving patients in the Greater Hickory community.

Our aim is to provide exceptional healthcare services delivered by a compassionate team committed to enhancing the overall well-being of the community we serve. See below for our full list of Locations.