Caught on Camera: Firefighters respond to dumpster fire at FGCUFGCU students affected by Covid celebrate first commencement ceremony
FORT MYERS Caught on Camera: Firefighters respond to dumpster fire at FGCU San Carlos Park Fire District responded to a dumpster fire Sunday afternoon.
FORT MYERS FGCU students affected by Covid celebrate first commencement ceremony Graduation is a right of passage from school to the real world, but for these students, reality hit them in 2020.
PUNTA GORDA Motorcycle crash leaves 1 dead One person has died after a motorcycle crash in Charlotte County.
LEE COUNTY Lee Deputies work to track down transient sex offenders who fail to register WINK News Anchor Corey Lazar goes on patrol with Lee County Deputies in search of transient sex offenders who don’t register.
National Hurricane Preparedness Week: Know your risk Hurricane season starts on June 1st, but the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration has designated the week of May 5 through May 11 as National Hurricane Preparedness Week. Each day, Meteorologist Lauren Kreidler will be highlighting ways to stay prepared ahead of this year’s hurricane season.
Southwest Florida The Weather Authority: Stay alert – chance of showers and storms on Sunday Hot, humid, and more rain for parts of Southwest Florida on Sunday.
CAPE CORAL What we learned about Cape Coral’s water crisis after a ride along On Friday, WINK News got to ride along to see just what people are doing that could be wasting water.
The Weather Authority: A wet Saturday evening as storms move through Southwest Florida A rainy Saturday evening across much of southwest Florida.
FORT MYERS Lee Health Touch-A-Truck event educates families on Trauma Awareness On Saturday morning, sirens were ringing to celebrate Lee Health Trauma Center’s 30 years of service and to provide the public with trauma education and prevention methods.
SOUTHWEST FLORIDA (CBS) CDC says bird flu viruses “pose pandemic potential,” cites major knowledge gaps Bird flu continues to appear to pose a “low risk to the general public” for now, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says. But the agency’s scientists ran into roadblocks investigating a human case of this “pandemic potential” virus this year, they said in a new report.
DOWNTOWN FORT MYERS Bay Street Yard set to open in late May A new place to hang out in Downtown Fort Myers is opening this spring.
Aetna agrees to settle lawsuit over fertility coverage for LGBTQ+ customers Aetna has agreed to settle a lawsuit that accused the health insurer of discriminating against LGBTQ+ customers in need of fertility treatment.
SOUTHWEST FLORIDA WINK Neighborhood Watch: Robbery, Pawn Shops, and Child Porn This week’s segment of Wink Neighborhood Watch features an armed robber, fraud at a pawn shop, and possession of child pornography.
Southwest Florida The Weather Authority: Sun, clouds, humidity, rain – it’s all in your weekend forecast Saturday afternoon will be hot and humid, with a mix of sun and clouds.
LEHIGH ACRES Chaotic lake getting fence and security Now, with all the negative attention it has gotten, some think putting up a fence is a great way to keep that bad activity out.
FORT MYERS Caught on Camera: Firefighters respond to dumpster fire at FGCU San Carlos Park Fire District responded to a dumpster fire Sunday afternoon.
FORT MYERS FGCU students affected by Covid celebrate first commencement ceremony Graduation is a right of passage from school to the real world, but for these students, reality hit them in 2020.
PUNTA GORDA Motorcycle crash leaves 1 dead One person has died after a motorcycle crash in Charlotte County.
LEE COUNTY Lee Deputies work to track down transient sex offenders who fail to register WINK News Anchor Corey Lazar goes on patrol with Lee County Deputies in search of transient sex offenders who don’t register.
National Hurricane Preparedness Week: Know your risk Hurricane season starts on June 1st, but the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration has designated the week of May 5 through May 11 as National Hurricane Preparedness Week. Each day, Meteorologist Lauren Kreidler will be highlighting ways to stay prepared ahead of this year’s hurricane season.
Southwest Florida The Weather Authority: Stay alert – chance of showers and storms on Sunday Hot, humid, and more rain for parts of Southwest Florida on Sunday.
CAPE CORAL What we learned about Cape Coral’s water crisis after a ride along On Friday, WINK News got to ride along to see just what people are doing that could be wasting water.
The Weather Authority: A wet Saturday evening as storms move through Southwest Florida A rainy Saturday evening across much of southwest Florida.
FORT MYERS Lee Health Touch-A-Truck event educates families on Trauma Awareness On Saturday morning, sirens were ringing to celebrate Lee Health Trauma Center’s 30 years of service and to provide the public with trauma education and prevention methods.
SOUTHWEST FLORIDA (CBS) CDC says bird flu viruses “pose pandemic potential,” cites major knowledge gaps Bird flu continues to appear to pose a “low risk to the general public” for now, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says. But the agency’s scientists ran into roadblocks investigating a human case of this “pandemic potential” virus this year, they said in a new report.
DOWNTOWN FORT MYERS Bay Street Yard set to open in late May A new place to hang out in Downtown Fort Myers is opening this spring.
Aetna agrees to settle lawsuit over fertility coverage for LGBTQ+ customers Aetna has agreed to settle a lawsuit that accused the health insurer of discriminating against LGBTQ+ customers in need of fertility treatment.
SOUTHWEST FLORIDA WINK Neighborhood Watch: Robbery, Pawn Shops, and Child Porn This week’s segment of Wink Neighborhood Watch features an armed robber, fraud at a pawn shop, and possession of child pornography.
Southwest Florida The Weather Authority: Sun, clouds, humidity, rain – it’s all in your weekend forecast Saturday afternoon will be hot and humid, with a mix of sun and clouds.
LEHIGH ACRES Chaotic lake getting fence and security Now, with all the negative attention it has gotten, some think putting up a fence is a great way to keep that bad activity out.
David Lawrence Center It is a startling statistic: Suicide has become the second-leading cause of death for children, teens, and young adults. Meanwhile, the number of children being hospitalized under Florida’s Baker Act continues to rise. The law allows doctors, judges, and law enforcement to commit a person for psychiatric evaluation, if they are considered a threat to themselves or others. We got a first-hand look at the effects the overflow is having at Collier County’s David Lawrence Center— and what help is on the way. MORE: Mental Health court helps break the cycle of ill patients in and out of jail “This is clearly a major, national, and local epidemic,” said Scott Burgess, CEO of David Lawrence Center. As Collier County’s only Baker Act-receiving facility, young people are brought there whether or not there are beds available. Out of 30 beds, only eight are for children. “We’re regularly running situations on a day-to-day basis where we’ve got 12, 13, 14 children that are needing to be on our unit,” said Burgess. The center has to bring in cots to make room for the overflow. MORE: Mental health resources in Southwest Florida Lindsey and Lindy Thomas have a personal understanding of what the families go through when their kids are mentally ill. Their son, who is now in his 40s, battled the illness at a young age and was in and out of the hospital several times. “Many times we stayed in the hospital or facility for weeks, months going through different trials and different medications,” said Lindsey Thomas. Doctors were finally able to find a medication that worked for their son, but the couple say it was a long road to get to that point. “It’s literally heartbreaking as you watch them struggle and try to maintain their life and what’s going on and deal with family,” said Lindy Thomas. Unfortunately the number of children needing help continues to grow, and the David Lawrence Center reports a 32.5% increase in psychiatric admissions of children and teens in 2018, compared to the previous year. Psychiatrist Edwin Gomez sees the issues at the facility first hand, as he is the one who evaluates the children when they are Baker-Acted. Though it is challenging to pinpoint a specific reason for the increase, he says it could partly be because of greater awareness overall, and especially social media. As more celebrities openly share struggles with anxiety and depression, it appears more young people are making a public call for help. “Children are expressing themselves more with social media, Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat…we get a lot of those admissions with patients saying they’re depressed and are thinking of ending it all,” Dr. Gomez said. “Luckily they have friends and family that care for them, and as soon as they see the message they call police.” Once they arrive at the Center though, Dr. Gomez says the limited space presents a struggle. The most recent annual report also shows up to 40% of Baker-Acted patients at David Lawrence Center had to be moved to other counties. “A lot of time when we’re packed to the maximum, we have to consult with other facilities to see if they will take our patients,” said Dr. Gomez. “The challenge we get into, parents get upset and I can’t blame them for getting upset for having their child be transferred from here to let’s say Punta Gorda or even Tampa because there’s not a bed available between here and Tampa.” Good news is, there are plans for a $25-million dollar expansion, which will be funded by the one-cent sales tax Collier voters passed last November. Even so, Burgess says that funding is just for the building, and much more will be needed to get it up and running. Meantime, the David Lawrence Center plans to turn to private donors for a $400,000 expansion of its children’s unit to add six more beds by August. As for Lindy and Lindsey Thomas, they encourage struggling families to join family support at a local chapter of National Alliance on Mental Illness. That support is what helped them carry on in the most challenging of times. “During this process there are lots of spirals up and spirals down. Hope and heartbreak, and then happiness and disappointment,” Lindy Thomas said. “Don’t give up,” adds Lindsey Thomas. “You’ve got to keep looking. There is hope.”