A Caring Touch

Straub Medical Center’s Burn Unit treats an average of more than 120 patients annually.

Photo courtesy Hawaii Pacific Health

When flames get out of control, we trust firefighters to save lives. But once the fire is extinguished, it is up to medical experts to being the intensive, intricate work of helping burn victims heal and recover. 

Straub Medical Center’s Burn Unit is the only unit of its kind in Hawai‘i and the Pacific Region, and treats an average of more than 120 patients every year. Healing a burn or a severe skin disease takes time. The risk of infection is high. The average length of stay is a month, with some patients needing care for almost a year. And the journey can be grueling.

“There is a real emotional factor in burn care. We take an oath to do no harm but, unfortunately, what it takes to heal the wounds causes pain,” says Kimberly Webster, RN, manager of the Burn Care Unit. “The entire team — the physicians, the nursing staff, chaplain, psychologists, social work team, dieticians, pharmacists, physical and occupational therapists, plastic surgeons and more — are tender but need to be very strong.” 

All physicians and nurses at the unit are Advanced Burn Life Support certified providers. The equipment required to ensure patients receive the best treatment is just as specialized. Insurance plans often do not completely cover the cost of care, so donations are essential.

Recently, funds went to state-of-the-art controls that better regulate the temperature and pressure of the sanitized water used for washing burns. The daily treatment helps reduce the risk of infection. Donations also funded burn blankets and a warming cabinet to help guard against hypothermia, and specialized temperature-regulated burn care beds which redistribute weight to relieve pressure on the skin. Gifts also allow the unit’s team to learn about the newest treatments, as well as provide training to first responders, some who may need help themselves one day.

“We’re blessed to have this place,” said Ka‘anapu Jacobson, president of Federal Firefighters of Hawai‘i. The union recently gifted more than $12,000 to the unit. “It is so important to let our guys know that if something does happen, we’re not flying you to the mainland. We can get you to Straub within 20 minutes for world-class treatment.”  

To learn more or give, go to hawaiipacifichealth.org/straub/services/burn-services