From Caregiver to Patient: Wayne Landers Finds Healing Close to Home

Having been a part of the Forrest Health family for more than 25 years, Wayne Landers, former director of Public Safety, knew where he could get the help he needed.

After a visit at Forrest General’s Family Medicine Residency Clinic, Landers was referred to Forrest Health’s Wound Care Center in Hattiesburg for wounds on both legs, just above his ankles. “They were caused by blisters that ended up draining and wouldn’t heal,” he said. “They just kept getting bigger and bigger even though I had treated them the best I could.”

Wayne said the staff gave him antibiotics and treated the wounds weekly. While they made some progress, the wounds were still not healing like they needed to. That’s when they got approval from Landers’ insurance company to try a new treatment using EPIFIX skin substitute, an advanced treatment that aids the body’s natural ability to close wounds. “They would put it on there and wrap it like normal,” he explained. “That really started the healing process.” The skin substitute could be left on for two weeks, but they preferred to change it weekly.

He got to know the staff pretty well during the 18 months he received care. “Those people are just family,” Wayne said. “Good people who care about what they do and care about the patients they have. Sitting there for an hour every week, there is a lot of interaction and you get to know more about them, their kids, their family. A lot of times you had the same crew in.”

Now his legs are doing great and no follow-ups are scheduled unless needed.

The staff was always careful to provide instructions and send dressings home so they could be changed as needed, Wayne said. “I wasn’t a number or a patient to them, but a real person who they called by name,” he said. “You don’t get that everywhere.”