St. Mary’s Center for Wound Healing recognized for clinical excellence in patient satisfaction and wound healing rates
January 12, 2026
Athens, Ga., January 2026 – Physicians, leaders, and clinicians at St. Mary’s Health Care System are proud to announce that St. Mary’s Center for Wound Healing in Athens has been awarded the
prestigious Center of Distinction award by Healogics®, the nation’s largest provider of advanced wound care services.
St. Mary’s center achieved outstanding clinical outcomes for 12 consecutive months, including a patient satisfaction rate of 95 percent – higher than the 92 percent required in the award criteria. Other criteria included:
- Wound-adjusted comprehensive healing rate greater than or equal to 77%. The actual rate was 81%.
- Outlier rate less than or equal to 16%. The actual rate was 15%.
“It takes tremendous commitment and attention to detail to achieve and maintain this level of excellence,” said Stonish Pierce, President and CEO of Trinity Health Georgia, which includes St. Mary’s.
“The patients our wound center cares for are fighting intractable, difficult-to-treat wounds that, if not healed, can lead to amputations and even death. We are proud of our wound center team for their commitment to providing high-level care with higher-level caring.”
St. Mary’s Center for Wound Healing, located at 4017 Atlanta Highway, Athens, is a member of the Healogics network of over 600 Wound Care Centers®. It offers highly specialized wound care to patients suffering from diabetic foot ulcers, pressure ulcers, infections, and other chronic wounds.
Advanced modalities provided by St. Mary’s wound care experts include negative pressure therapy, total contact casting, bio-engineered tissues, biosynthetic dressings, and growth factor therapies. St. Mary’s Centers for Wound Healing in Athens and Lavonia also offer hyperbaric oxygen therapy, which helps accelerate wound healing by surrounding the patient with 100 percent oxygen at up to 3 times atmospheric pressure.
“Our team brings top-level compassion, knowledge, and professionalism to our patients every day,” said Crystal Wise, program director for the Athens and Lavonia wound healing centers. “This recognition is a testament to the exceptional care and dedication demonstrated by our team of physicians, leaders, and clinicians. But the most rewarding thing is when a patient who came to us with a life- or limb-threatening wound walks away completely healed.”
For more information, visit www.stmarys-health.org or call 706-389-3065.
About St. Mary’s Center for Wound Healing
Located at 4017 Atlanta Highway, Athens, St. Mary’s Center for Wound Healing provides personalized, state-of-the-art treatment for chronic and hard-to-heal wounds in a compassionate, supportive
environment. The center brings together specialists from multiple fields to support healing from conditions such as diabetic ulcers, pressure wounds, traumatic injuries, and infected wounds. For information, visit stmarys-health.org or call (706) 389-3065.
About Healogics
Headquartered in Jacksonville, Fla., Healogics is the nation’s wound healing expert. Last year, over 300,000 patients received advanced wound care through a network of over 600 Wound Care Centers®. Healogics also partners with over 300 skilled nursing facilities to care for patients with chronic wounds and provides inpatient consults at more than 60 partner hospitals. As the industry leader, Healogics has the largest repository of chronic wound-specific patient data in the country. The Healogics Wound Science Initiative offers peer-reviewed research and advanced analytics in the pursuit of better outcomes and a better way to provide care.