Antelope Valley Hospital celebrated the opening of its new Comprehensive Wound Healing Center, a facility that will help patients with wound healing problems.

Hospital officials and civic and business leaders gathered Tuesday night to hold an official grand opening ceremony for the facility. The center has been open two months and is already seeing about 30 patients a week.

Dr. Gary Boghossian, who is leading the center, said it is a valuable service being offered to the community. Preventing limb loss is vital because nearly 50% of patients who lose a limb die within three to four years.

“It’s very important for a hospital to take the effort and extend themselves to open a facility like this,” Boghossian said. “We are a limb salvage center.”

Examples of the types of wounds treated at the center include second- and third-degree burns, chronic non-healing wounds, radiation injuries, diabetic wounds and foot ulcers, lumphedema, and traumatic wounds with significant tissue loss.

Boghossian, who has 11 years of experience treating wounds, said the center takes a global approach, or a multi-specialty approach, to care. Options for care might include surgery, bio skin substitute, compression stockings, physical therapy, nutrition management, diabetic reduction, and pain management. Boghossian, a graduate of Des Moines University of Podiatric medicine and surgery, has treated an average of 3,000 wound visits a year.