Diabetics, the elderly, those who are wheelchair-bound, and others who suffer from chronic wounds will no longer have to leave the Lawrence area to seek medical treatment.

Lawrence Memorial Hospital, in partnership with a national vendor management company, will create an outpatient wound-care program featuring hyperbaric oxygen therapy and specially trained staff in a 2,900-square-foot facility in the Lawrence Medical Plaza at Sixth and Maine streets.

LMH’s board of directors, at its regular monthly meeting Wednesday, gave approval to proceed with contract negotiations to establish the program.

Hospital officials say the wound-care program should be ready by Jan. 1. The cost of setting up the program is estimated to be $150,000.

The program will represent a major enhancement in the way LMH is able to treat patients suffering from chronic wounds, according to Gene Meyer, the hospital’s chief executive officer.

“The treatment of hard-to-heal wounds is a very common phenomenon in health care. The ability to do that for patients in a setting that is convenient and most cost-effective has been found to be an outpatient clinic,” he said.

“Because this is so sophisticated, the resources of a specialized (management) group has been sought.”

LMH is considering the National Healing Corp. and Curative Health Services to help manage the wound-care program. The hospital will likely choose between the two vendors this week.

It has been difficult for patients in the LMH service area to receive comprehensive treatment for wounds, and they are often forced to seek specialty care outside the community, hospital officials said.

Many patients in LMH’s service region are regularly referred to programs in the Kansas City area. The closest curative wound-care programs are offered at the Bethany and Shawnee Mission medical centers.

LMH’s service area includes Douglas, Jefferson, Franklin, Leavenworth, Anderson, Shawnee and western Johnson counties.

LMH is projecting that in its marketing area of 143,500 people, 2 percent of the total population would be candidates for its wound-care program.The program will emphasize a “continuum of care” that will incorporate a wide range of advanced therapeutic services, such as vascular surgery, infection control, debridement (removal of dead tissue), angiograms, pharmacy, nutrition, protection devices, bone scans, skin grafting, rehabilitation, laboratory, radiology and patient education.

High-tech adjunctive therapy such as hyperbaric oxygen will be an important aspect of treatment.