There is a man living off-grid in a house he built north of Merrill. He has a huge wound to his face, that runs from forehead to neck, right through his ear area requiring wound vac changes three times a week. The wound vac is extremely difficult to place, and these changes take an extended visit. Most nurses would not be able to secure this wound vac and get a seal. Due to its difficulty, Erin has accepted all of his visits at the request of the case manager. This man has private insurance and experiencing a ton of pain with the changes. Erin had reached out to the KCI representative for an in-home visit with the patient for a new type of wound vac, all in an attempt to help control the patient's pain.

Now here is where it gets crazy, this man living off the grid does not have a driveway, he has created his own path through the woods to the house, and you can drive it when there is no snow. Erin is now walking 0.5 miles through the snow and woods to see this patient and provide care three times a week. She is timing her visits to make sure they are in the daylight. The patient warned her to be sure to wear orange during hunting season. There is no cell service in this area, and she makes sure someone knows where she is going when heading out to this home.

I am surprised that a referral source would think this was a good home health candidate and I truly believe he is being successful in his care due to Erin's willingness to go above and beyond, to find the home at the time of admit, to walk through the snow, and to take on the difficulty of his care. I do not know the full details, but I do understand the wound is deep enough to have exposed bone.