United Ostomy Associations of America, Inc. (UOAA) announces the release of the first-ever online Outpatient Ostomy Services locator to improve access to ostomy care. This underserved patient population of people living with an ostomy or continent diversion, estimated to be up to 1 million in the United States, now has a new way to find outpatient services that are critical to healthy outcomes.
BIDDEFORD, Maine, Sept. 11, 2024 /PRNewswire-PRWeb/ -- United Ostomy Associations of America, Inc. (UOAA) today announced the unveiling of their latest resource, the first-ever online Outpatient Ostomy Services locator to improve access to ostomy care. UOAA is a national 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization whose mission is to promote quality of life for people with ostomies and continent diversions through information, support, advocacy and collaboration. This new directory allows medical professionals, patients and caregivers to locate outpatient ostomy services near their specified geographical area. Nowhere else can the ostomy community find this type of user-friendly comprehensive list.
As the leading organization advocating for this underserved patient population, UOAA believes that access to outpatient ostomy services improves quality of life and ensures an ostomate can achieve goals of care for prosthetic function to maintain physical, emotional, and financial health and wellness.
The project is led by UOAA Advocacy Manager, Jeanine Gleba. "It is an ongoing advocacy priority to identify and remediate barriers to ostomy care and create tools to improve patient outcomes. Patients need convenient access to care following ostomy surgery otherwise they may end up in the ER," Gleba expressed.
According to Guy Orangio, MD, FACS, FASCRS, Emeritus Professor of Surgery LSU Health Science Center, "This "new" Directory for outpatient ostomy services is another milestone for UOAA and their advocacy program's mission of patient-centered care for all ostomates with their ongoing quality improvement initiative to ensure high quality ostomy care. The Directory will assist surgeons in locating preoperatively, these "local resource areas" that may assist with care of their post-discharged ostomates."
"As a surgeon, I realize the difficulty my "new" ostomy patients and their families go through in the first few months after surgery. The post-operative recovery including not only the physical but emotional stress can be difficult. This Directory, a resource that will enhance their recovery and get them back to their life, is just what the doctor ordered," Orangio says.
"Ostomy management skills education and patient-centered care should not end when they leave the hospital after surgery," says UOAA President Cheryl Ory. "With this new tool we are meeting an unmet patient need for the ostomy community. This Directory highlights our commitment to improving access to ostomy care, " Ory adds.
Nathan Hadlock of UOAA's Patient Advisory Board knows about patient challenges first hand. "Navigating the world of ostomies can be difficult and confusing. I live in a fairly isolated area. There have been times when I simply didn't know where I could go or who I could, or should talk to for help when it came to getting checkups on my stoma, or having tests and procedures done. I'm so glad that UOAA has created yet another way for ostomates to get proper care by finding and connecting with nearby medical providers that understand our needs," Hadlock says.
UOAA strives to be the premier trusted resource in the United States for all things ostomy-related including educational materials, advocacy tools, a virtual ostomy clinic in partnership with The Wound Company and over 275 Affiliated Support Groups across the United States.
For more information visit ostomy.org.
Media Contact
Ed Pfueller, United Ostomy Associations of America (UOAA), 1 800-826-0826, [email protected], https://www.ostomy.org/
SOURCE United Ostomy Associations of America (UOAA)
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