By CAROL KENT
In 2018, seven counties in Northwest Florida including Bay, Walton, and Jackson accounted for 164 diabetic amputations. With proper care, many of these could have been prevented. Northwest Florida Wound Care and Hyperbaric Center is providing education to area medical providers on “Advanced Wound Care & Limb Preservationâ€. The event will be held on Tuesday, November 9 from 6:30 to 8:30 pm at One Thirty One Events by Trigo. Seating is limited. Providers who are interested should contact Heather Kretzer, Physician Liaison by phone or text at 850-704-2384 or email [email protected].
“Northwest Florida Wound Care is committed to preventing amputations through prompt world-class wound care and hyperbaric treatment in collaboration with area providersâ€, said Dr. John O’Connell, Medical Director.
“What many people do not realize is within the first 5 years following an amputation, a person’s chance of death increases by 50%.â€, said Dr. Desmond Bell, Founder and President of The Save A Leg, Save A Life Foundation.
Dr. Desmond Bell is the Founder and President of “The Save A Leg, Save A Life†Foundation, a multi-disciplinary non-profit organization dedicated to the reduction in lower extremity amputations and improving wound healing outcomes through education, evidence-based methodology and community outreach.
He also serves as Chief Medical Officer of Omeza, an evidence based medical technology company and consumer healthcare products company initially focused on healing chronic wounds and preventing their recurrence.
In 2020, he joined MD Coaches as an Executive Physician Coach, serving as a peer to peer mentor.
Dr. Bell was awarded the Frist Humanitarian Award by Specialty Hospital Jacksonville for 2009 and Memorial Hospital Jacksonville in 2018. He is a Board Certified Wound Specialist (CWS) having served on the Board of Directors of the American Board of Wound Management for 6 years and presently serving on the Board of the American Board of Wound Management Foundation.
He has also been elected as a Fellow of the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Glasgow and is a member of the CLI Global Society.
Dr. Bell has published numerous articles primarily pertaining to wound management and lower extremity amputation prevention and has served as an Editorial Board Member for the publication “Today’s Wound Clinic†since its inception. He is nationally recognized speaker, with regular faculty roles at AMP, ASCENT and Modern Wound Care Management.
November is National Diabetes Awareness month. World Diabetes Day is also observed annually on November 14. Persons living with diabetes can help prevent complications by keeping their blood sugar within normal range through monitoring, visiting a podiatrist to have a foot check annually, and staying active by getting at least 150 minutes of physical activity a week.
Diabetic foot ulcers are the most common foot injuries leading to lower extremity amputations. US Wound Care’s limb preservation rate is 98.4%. In contrast, the national average is 14% – 24% of patients with diabetes who develop a diabetic foot ulcer require amputation
Proper and advanced wound care techniques may help to heal these wounds. When diabetic foot ulcers are severe and do not show at least 50% improvement after 30 days of wound care, hyperbaric oxygen therapy can further help to heal the wounds and prevent possible amputation. The key is to start early advanced wound care early and report any ulcers or concerns to your provider as soon as you notice them.
Northwest Florida Wound Care and Hyperbaric Center offers the area’s only multi-place hyperbaric oxygen treatment chamber. We are proud to be pioneers in offering world class Wound Care and Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy. The chamber is a temperature-controlled environment complete with video entertainment to allow for healing in a comfortable and fun atmosphere.
Hannah Collins 
Staff Report 
GARETT VALCOURT 