Western MA Wound Care Physician Assistant and Medical Director Alyssa Ayala stresses that when it comes to treating non-healing wounds, the stakes are truly life or limb.
According to the American Diabetes Association, 80% of non-traumatic lower-limb amputations stem from diabetes complications, with people of color disproportionately undergoing these procedures in the United States. Furthermore, individuals who undergo an amputation face a significantly higher risk of mortality within five years.
“If you can get a wound closed, then you’re really saving the limb,” Ayala said. “And if you can save a wound, you save a life.”
Ayala, 41, has been practicing healthcare for more than 20 years, becoming a physician assistant after graduating from Bay Path University in 2016. Her interest in wound care was sparked while completing her surgical rotation at Baystate Franklin Medical Center. She continued to gain experience in wound care while practicing emergency medicine in southern Oregon and Florida.
Following the COVID-19 pandemic, Ayala decided to open her own practice. She founded Western MA Wound Care in Greenfield in August 2024, expanding to a second location in East Longmeadow by July 2025. She said that her interest in wound care stemmed from the variety of wounds that can be treated, and knowing that each patient is different, with their own comorbidities impacting how a chronic wound heals.
Additionally, Ayala said those practicing wound care “are doing really important work,” given the statistical likelihood of how amputation increases mortality, and that this work is making a significant difference to people in need of treatment.
“We are making a … physical and mental, emotional difference in our patients’ lives by the care that we’re doing, and that’s consistent feedback that you get,” Ayala said.
Ayala said that the majority of the patients she treats with wounds are diabetic and present with diabetic ulcers on their feet or elsewhere. She also sees patients with wounds associated with cardiovascular diseases, lymphedema, venous insufficiency, burns, mobility issues and patients with wounds associated with drug addiction. She mentioned how some patients she may see for only a few appointments, while others have been her patients for several years.
This specialized care is unique because of the extensive time Ayala dedicatedly spends with patients, fostering a wider scope of treatment and a deeper rapport with her small staff of three, including herself.
Ayala explained that in situations where patients go to their primary care physician or seek care in an emergency room, there is only so much these doctors can do beyond recommending antibiotics or follow-ups with other practitioners. Part of her mission includes educating both the public and local doctors that her specialty is available.
Ayala said patients come in for weekly visits to monitor and treat the progression of the their wound (or wounds). She and her staff measure wounds, use specialized bandages and perform full vascular assessments to catch underlying issues. They also perform debridement — a medical procedure used to clean a wound and remove dead or damaged tissue — to keep healing productive. The action is what Ayala calls “the number one thing” wound care offers.
On top of these specific, regimented treatments, Ayala said she uses these weekly visits to develop a positive rapport and offer specialized care that primary care and emergency physicians rarely have the bandwidth to support. Emphasizing the importance of meeting patients where they are, she said that while individuals experiencing homelessness or substance use disorders may miss appointments or struggle to follow care recommendations, her door remains open.
“They’re always welcome to come back through this door, and I’ll meet them where they’re at,” she said.
This level of treatment is something that patient Linda Dufresne said she’s experienced in the few weeks since she began coming here. She was recommended by a nail salon after having a pedicure done, and the nail tech noticed her wound on her right leg.
Dufresne affirmed that she felt the practice provides comprehensive treatment, noting that the staff discovered poor leg circulation that she wasn’t previously aware of.
“They’re the ones that took the time to put those cuff things [vascular cuffs] on me, and figure out that my circulation in the bottom of my legs wasn’t right,” Dufresne said.
Kevin Brigham and his niece, Elizabeth Swartz, have been coming to Ayala for treatment since August 2025, with Brigham helping Swartz, who is a leg amputee above the knee, to these appointments. An at-home nurse recommended Western MA Wound Care to Brigham and Swartz — a service that they also didn’t know was available.
Brigham serves as his niece’s medical advocate, and said that Ayala and her team have been “life-changing” for Swartz, whose arm was at risk of amputation due to a non-healing, chronic wound.
“Not only has [Ayala] taken care of her wound, but she’s been more concerned about her overall care. She’s given us referrals to other doctors that we wouldn’t have been able to find otherwise,” Brigham explained.
When asked about what it means to her to see patients heal from start to finish, Ayala said that her patients’ wins are her wins.
“I have had patients that I definitely cried a little bit when they got their wounds closed,” Ayala said. “Because it was a big deal, and we did see them every week, and there was a real fear that serial amputations would ensue. It means everything to us.”
Western MA Wound Care operates two clinics: one in East Longmeadow at 265 Benton Drive, Unit 106, and another in Greenfield at 63 French King Highway, Suite 2.
The Greenfield clinic operates by appointment only on Tuesdays and Wednesdays from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Patients can request an appointment by calling 413-512-5111 or completing the online form at westernmawoundcare.com/newpatients. Western MA Wound Care accepts MassHealth, Medicare, Medicaid, Blue Cross, Mass General Brigham, Fallon and Tufts.
