The Weather Authority: A wet Saturday evening as storms move through Southwest FloridaLee Health Touch-A-Truck event educates families on Trauma Awareness
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.
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.
FORT MYERS Students affected by COVID-19 able to graduate for the first time For many young people, COVID stripped away one of their greatest rites of passage: graduation.
Deadly crash on State Road 29 in Hendry County Authorities are at the scene of a deadly crash on State Road 29 in Hendry County on Friday afternoon.
Celebrating Free Comic Book Day in SWFL JP Sports store manager Jonathan Powell said this is a generational event that brings families together to reminisce on comics and other hobby-related knickknacks.
FORT MYERS Group rescues dogs before getting put down in Lee County Our animal shelters are packed with amazing puppies who have the sole desire to be loved.
FORT MYERS FGCU student beats all odds and is able to graduate Nearly four years ago, Marisa Manning had her heart set on going to Florida Gulf Coast University but never thought she’d find her passion for studying parasites.
FORT MYERS Victim in MLK Blvd. shooting identified as social media influencer The victim of the Martin Luther King Boulevard shooting has been identified as a local social media influencer.
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.
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.
FORT MYERS Students affected by COVID-19 able to graduate for the first time For many young people, COVID stripped away one of their greatest rites of passage: graduation.
Deadly crash on State Road 29 in Hendry County Authorities are at the scene of a deadly crash on State Road 29 in Hendry County on Friday afternoon.
Celebrating Free Comic Book Day in SWFL JP Sports store manager Jonathan Powell said this is a generational event that brings families together to reminisce on comics and other hobby-related knickknacks.
FORT MYERS Group rescues dogs before getting put down in Lee County Our animal shelters are packed with amazing puppies who have the sole desire to be loved.
FORT MYERS FGCU student beats all odds and is able to graduate Nearly four years ago, Marisa Manning had her heart set on going to Florida Gulf Coast University but never thought she’d find her passion for studying parasites.
FORT MYERS Victim in MLK Blvd. shooting identified as social media influencer The victim of the Martin Luther King Boulevard shooting has been identified as a local social media influencer.
MGN FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. (AP) – Florida health officials are changing the state’s policy for administering costly hepatitis C drugs to Medicaid patients and will now require insurance companies to provide the drug at an earlier stage in the disease. The change comes after three organizations sued in April, warning that the Florida Agency for Health Care Administration’s policies violate patient rights under the Medicaid Act. Previously, hepatitis C patients were only given the medication when they were at a so-called fibrosis level three or four. Patients often have such severe liver damage in stage four that they require a transplant, said Vicki Tucci Krusel, an attorney with Legal Aid Society of Palm Beach County. “But everyone who’s F zero, one and two was not getting the medication, so the state was basically waiting until someone gets really sick instead of getting someone the medication they need to get better now. Under the amended criteria, the fibrosis level is no longer a requirement,” said Krusel, who filed the suit along with Florida Legal Services and the National Health Law Program. “The policy change will ensure the health of Medicaid recipients statewide. I hope other states follow Florida’s lead.” The change went into effect Wednesday. Florida health officials said they would give the insurance companies that administer Medicaid program until June 17 to make the changes and noted plans could still review cases to prove that patients aren’t using drugs or are seeking substance abuse treatment. The drugs which can cost between $24,000 and $31,000 a month. It’s unclear how many Medicaid patients in Florida have hepatitis C or have been denied the drug. Vickie Goldstein, a 57-year-old Palm Beach County resident, said her health plan denied her Antiretroviral drug used to treat hepatitis C last summer saying it was not medically necessary. The three legal organizations sent a letter on Goldstein’s behalf asking the state to amend its criteria for dispensing hepatitis C treatment and medications to fall in line with federal Medicaid guidelines. The lawsuit is likely to be dismissed after the changes. “Despite the fact that there is a cure for this infectious disease, too many people have died because they had no access to the treatment,” Goldstein said in a statement. “Now, this will start to change in Florida because we have shined a spotlight on the barriers to access treatment for this disease.” The issue has been common as states with limited Medicaid budgets have struggled to pay for these new expensive, yet often life-saving medications that have emerged in the last few years. An investigation by the U.S. Senate Finance Committee found Medicaid programs were only able treat 2.4 percent of roughly 700,000 enrollees infected with the disease, despite spending more than $1 billion on the drug during 2014. On Friday, a federal judge ordered Washington Medicaid to provide the drug to all hepatitis C patients, not just the sickest ones. The injunction was a response to a class-action lawsuit filed in February on behalf of two of the state’s Medicaid clients, seeking to force the state to stop a 2015 policy that restricted access to the drugs based on a measure of liver scarring. Patients typically need two to six months of treatment, which can cost as much as $180,000. Depending on the patient’s treatment history and the drug being used, the medications are 96 to 100 percent effective, said Chris Dowden, a pharmacist at Skyemed Pharmacy based in West Palm Beach. Typically, patients try to get the medication and are denied by their insurance company. They appeal and are denied again, but the state usually approves the drug during an appeals hearing – a process can take several months, Dowden said.