Whether you have been coming to Tri-State for years or it is your first walk through our halls, we want you to know that your health is our first priority and we are here to help. At Tri-State, you are family.

Marcella Smith suffered a stroke in late October, which affected her memory. After going outside one evening this winter when temperatures had dropped to a mere seven degrees, her family found her after having fallen down in the snow. Marcella had no memory of what had happened, and had suffered significant frostbite on her hand and both feet during the incident. Marcella was on hospice and no longer had a primary doctor of her own. She initially experienced a few roadblocks when seeking care and was told that she would have to wait a month to be seen. Her daughter Suzanne Timms, a nurse for almost 20 years, recognized that her mother’s black fingers were clearly at risk for infection and they could not wait that long. Fortunately, a family doctor was able to squeeze her in, and due to the presence of black tissue, they immediately contacted Tri-State Wound Healing & Hyperbaric Services. Tri-State was able to schedule her for a same-day visit with Wound Healing Specialist, Dr. Vilas Deshpande.

“I rushed my frail mother into the wound clinic expecting to wait hours to see the specialist,” Suzanne explained. “We were in the waiting room less than five minutes when a kind, gentle male nurse assisted my mother to an exam room,” she continues. “They carefully examined her and explained that they would photograph and measure her wounds.” Dr. Deshpande was in shortly after, assessed her frostbite, gave her a treatment plan, and agreed to follow her through the healing process. “He was compassionate, thorough, and gentle as he explained the wound healing process and showed genuine concern when caring for my mother. They were able to complete the appointment in less than 30 minutes, and when you are on hospice, every minute counts,” she adds. “They explained her care in a way she could easily understand to ensure she knew how to care for this at home, which reinforces that they want their patients to heal. They are truly dedicated in their mission of healing and it shows in how they cared for my mother,” says Suzanne.

When your loved one is hurting or needs care, the last thing you want to worry about is where to go or who can see you quickly. “My mother told everyone how wonderful and caring Dr. D. and his team were and how quickly they had her in and out,” Suzanne says. “Dr. Deshpande’s office continued to impress me, even giving responses to phone calls within 15 minutes; that’s unheard of. He even allowed us to email a wound photo to follow up, rather than bringing her back in for weekly checks in her fragile condition.” This is just the kind of personalized care you can expect when you come to Tri-State.

Sadly, Marcella passed away at the end of January this year. “Her passing reiterated to us how time is so valuable,” Suzanne reflects. “If we had waited a month, we all would have been worried about her wound healing. Dr. D. took a great deal of stress off our minds when we only had a short amount of time left with her. Thank you for having such incredible, caring staff, from the employee at the front desk all the way to the physician who treated her. You can’t teach compassion, you have to hire people who live your mission, not just people who are qualified, but people who genuinely care. Even the front desk displayed compassion to my mother. She was a complete stranger to them, but the most important person in the world to me,” Suzanne adds.

We are thankful for the individuals that come through our doors every day, like Marcella, who become part of our Tri-State family, and we could not be more proud of our staff that leave lasting impressions.

To learn more about Tri-State Wound Healing & Hyperbarics, please visit TriStateHospital.org/Hyperbaric.