Dennis Hutchison New Wound Care Director at AMH

With a background in physical therapy, you might think that managing a Wound Care Center is a brand new experience for Dennis Hutchison.

Not so fast.

Hutchison is the new director of the Center for Wound Care and Hyperbaric Medicine at Alton Memorial Hospital. A native of Vandalia, Ill., Hutchison is a Saint Louis University graduate with years of physical therapy training.

“But the clinical side of Wound Care is nothing new to me,” Hutchison said. “I used to do a lot of wound care in the rural hospitals I served, so I understand the basic principles of wound care. However, our approach now is much more advanced with evidence-based protocols than when I practiced in the clinic. So this is a very good fit for me.”

Hutchison has extensive management experience. Most recently, he was with St. Joseph’s Hospital in Highland in Human Resources and over ancillary services and business development. He also helped developed the Certificate of Need for the new St. Joseph’s Hospital campus, which opened in August.

“Another neat thing is that our Wound Care Center is managed by Healogics, and I helped bring that company to the hospital in Highland,” Hutchison said. “So when this opening came up at Alton Memorial, my current boss at Healogics called me right away. I look at it as the best of two worlds because I have always admired BJC and also believe that Healogics is a terrific company.”

Hutchison gained experience with BJC from his 12 years in physical therapy with Fayette County Hospital in Vandalia, which formerly was a member of the BJC system. He transitioned from the clinical side to management during those years and then earned his MBA from Southern Illinois University Edwardsville in 2006.

“I also knew (AMH President) Dave Braasch from when I served as Chief Operating Officer at Fayette County,” Hutchison said. “So it’s very nice to be able to come back and work with him and also with a BJC hospital. I have always told everyone that BJC was the best.”

Hutchison still lives in Vandalia with his wife, Melissa. They have a son, Denny, and a daughter, Sarah. Denny works with a homeless ministry in Knoxville, Tenn., while Sarah is completing her master’s degree in Accounting at SIUE.

“This job is a lot of marketing, as far as getting the word about the Wound Care Center,” Hutchison said. “And it’s a good story to tell because we have an excellent team here. This center consistently scores very well on a national level and we want to maintain that excellence.”

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