Drivers react to newly opened intersection on Colonial Blvd.Dinosaur from Shell Factory finds new home in Saint James City marina
FORT MYERS Drivers react to newly opened intersection on Colonial Blvd. The dreaded drive through one of our busiest intersections has been the focus of several construction projects.
Dinosaur from Shell Factory finds new home in Saint James City marina A dinosaur has found a new home at the soon-to-be Nauti-Dolphin Marina in Saint James City, Florida. This prehistoric attraction is already drawing attention even though it’s the only thing currently on the property. Dean Zoner, owner of the Nauti-Dolphin Marina, acquired the dinosaur from the Shell Factory, a local business that was going out […]
Florida lawmakers to vote on revamped Governor backed immigration bill on Thursday The House and Senate are set to vote on a new immigration bill on Thursday. The bill aims to address illegal immigration and support federal mass deportation efforts.
CLEWISTON Community raises concerns about Clewiston Animal Services The Clewiston Animal Shelter has made significant improvements, but there is still work to be done to bring conditions to a more humane level.
Collier County beachgoers react to Gulf of America name change The Gulf of Mexico has been officially renamed the “Gulf of America” following an executive order signed by former President Donald Trump.
ENGLEWOOD Englewood Beach’s closure impacts local economy; businesses seek answers Business owners on Englewood Beach are growing increasingly anxious as they await the reopening of the beach, which has been closed since hurricanes Helene and Milton.
FORT MYERS BEACH Food truck park proposal on Estero Blvd divides Fort Myers Beach locals The Fort Myers Beach Local Planning Agency recently voted on whether to transform a vacant lot on Estero Boulevard into a food truck park.
CCSO works with ICE to catch suspects in Southwest Florida State lawmakers are working on a new immigration bill. Here in Southwest Florida, one county has been following strict guidelines on illegal immigration for quite some time.
Burn ban in effect for Collier County The Board of County Commissioners has authorized a burn ban in Collier County.
FGCU FGCU’s Zavian McLean shares student athlete experience with podcast FGCU men’s basketball guard Zavian McLean shares what its like to be a Division I student athlete in his podcast “Truey Talks.”
Locals react to egg price increase Egg prices continue to soar. In fact, prices have gone up about 37% from where they were just one year ago, and the pricing and supply issues have started to impact Southwest Florida.
FORT MYERS BEACH Trump’s executive order on straws stirs debate in Fort Myers Beach President Donald Trump recently signed an executive order to bring back plastic straws, reversing a previous plan to reduce plastic reliance in the federal government.
Charlotte County official’s usage of racial slur prompts calls for resignation Charlotte County Commissioner Stephen Deutsch is under scrutiny after a complaint surfaced last week alleging he used the N-word during a work meeting.
CAPE CORAL Cape Coral woman finds hope with new ALS drug A breakthrough discovery of a drug offers new hope for patients with a genetic form of the disease.
Elevate Florida program to help homeowners strengthen properties against storms The Florida Dept. of Emergency Management announced the launch of its new “Elevate Florida” residential mitigation program.
FORT MYERS Drivers react to newly opened intersection on Colonial Blvd. The dreaded drive through one of our busiest intersections has been the focus of several construction projects.
Dinosaur from Shell Factory finds new home in Saint James City marina A dinosaur has found a new home at the soon-to-be Nauti-Dolphin Marina in Saint James City, Florida. This prehistoric attraction is already drawing attention even though it’s the only thing currently on the property. Dean Zoner, owner of the Nauti-Dolphin Marina, acquired the dinosaur from the Shell Factory, a local business that was going out […]
Florida lawmakers to vote on revamped Governor backed immigration bill on Thursday The House and Senate are set to vote on a new immigration bill on Thursday. The bill aims to address illegal immigration and support federal mass deportation efforts.
CLEWISTON Community raises concerns about Clewiston Animal Services The Clewiston Animal Shelter has made significant improvements, but there is still work to be done to bring conditions to a more humane level.
Collier County beachgoers react to Gulf of America name change The Gulf of Mexico has been officially renamed the “Gulf of America” following an executive order signed by former President Donald Trump.
ENGLEWOOD Englewood Beach’s closure impacts local economy; businesses seek answers Business owners on Englewood Beach are growing increasingly anxious as they await the reopening of the beach, which has been closed since hurricanes Helene and Milton.
FORT MYERS BEACH Food truck park proposal on Estero Blvd divides Fort Myers Beach locals The Fort Myers Beach Local Planning Agency recently voted on whether to transform a vacant lot on Estero Boulevard into a food truck park.
CCSO works with ICE to catch suspects in Southwest Florida State lawmakers are working on a new immigration bill. Here in Southwest Florida, one county has been following strict guidelines on illegal immigration for quite some time.
Burn ban in effect for Collier County The Board of County Commissioners has authorized a burn ban in Collier County.
FGCU FGCU’s Zavian McLean shares student athlete experience with podcast FGCU men’s basketball guard Zavian McLean shares what its like to be a Division I student athlete in his podcast “Truey Talks.”
Locals react to egg price increase Egg prices continue to soar. In fact, prices have gone up about 37% from where they were just one year ago, and the pricing and supply issues have started to impact Southwest Florida.
FORT MYERS BEACH Trump’s executive order on straws stirs debate in Fort Myers Beach President Donald Trump recently signed an executive order to bring back plastic straws, reversing a previous plan to reduce plastic reliance in the federal government.
Charlotte County official’s usage of racial slur prompts calls for resignation Charlotte County Commissioner Stephen Deutsch is under scrutiny after a complaint surfaced last week alleging he used the N-word during a work meeting.
CAPE CORAL Cape Coral woman finds hope with new ALS drug A breakthrough discovery of a drug offers new hope for patients with a genetic form of the disease.
Elevate Florida program to help homeowners strengthen properties against storms The Florida Dept. of Emergency Management announced the launch of its new “Elevate Florida” residential mitigation program.
2 Charlotte County hospitals receive near-failing grades. WINK News Several Charlotte County hospitals received low ranking grades. The Leapfrog Group, a national nonprofit organization that grades hospitals nationwide, gave Bayfront Health locations in Punta Gorda and Port Charlotte a “D” grade. Fawcett Memorial Hospital received a “C,” a grade lower than the “B” in 2017, according to results from the Leap Frog Group. Fawcett Memorial Hospital officials said they’re disappointed with the grade, but are “confident that our performance metrics have improved since the data period that these scores were tabulated.” When asked about the rankings, Port Charlotte resident Victoria Durandis said she wasn’t surprised. “Well first and foremost I’m not shocked at all, just because the service, especially in the emergency rooms isn’t the best,” Durandis said. All three hospitals scored well for taking steps to avoid patient harm, they received low marks for doctors trained for intensive care units, according to results from the Leap Frog Group. Bayfront Health Punta Gorda and Fawcett Memorial Hospital also scored low on certain hospital infections. Dorothy Schneider, of Port Charlotte, said she was discouraged by others to seek medical treatment at Bayfront Health Punta Gorda. “I know the one in Punta Gorda people tell me don’t even go there,” Schneider said. Schneider added she herself has never had an issue with Bayfront Health. Durandis said she’s decided to go travel further to go to another hospital. “My family, we prefer Sarasota Memorial actually my sister and sister-in-law have both chosen to give birth there rather than here,” Durandis said. Anyone interested in searching for hospital grades can do so by zip code, city or state by clicking here. Read the full statements from both medical facilities below: Bayfront Health We are disappointed by our grade in the Leapfrog update at both Bayfront Health Port Charlotte and Bayfront Health Punta Gorda. It is important to remember however that some of the data used in this report dates back as far as July 2014. For example, patient fall safety data is from a collection period ranging 07/01/2014-09/30/2015. Since this time both facilities have put interdisciplinary teams in place that focus on daily executive, clinical, and nurse leader rounding, patient communication and bedside shift reporting. At both campuses, the executive teams visit patients at a minimum, five days per week, to get real-time feedback and recommendations. We have also invested in updated equipment and facility upgrades to provide our patients with a safer environment, including beds equipped with alarms and new patient call systems. Two Leapfrog measures which hold the most weight are computerized prescriber order entry (CPOE) systems and ICU physician staffing. Our facilities do not fully meet the CPOE standard at this time because our computer software is not currently capable to provide instantaneous decision support. We have begun to evaluate our system and have been in discussion with information technology vendors to determine what is needed to put this support in place. In regards to ICU physician staffing, to meet criteria, a hospital must have a physician in the ICU at least eight hours per day, seven days per week. We are evaluating the use of tele-intensivists to provide better intensivist coverage and enable our facilities to meet the standard fully in the future. Tracking quality data, daily attention to process improvement, and collaboration between our employees and the medical staff support the delivery of quality care and our improvements over time. At both Bayfront Health Port Charlotte and Punta Gorda, we focus on and make patient safety a priority every day. When choosing where to receive medical care, we encourage consumers to consider a variety of factors such as speaking with their physician about their individual care plan and by looking up safety and quality information for their state. Fawcett Memorial Hospital Patient care and safety continues to be of the utmost importance at Fawcett Memorial Hospital and we are committed to transparency by sharing accurate, meaningful information about quality performance. We were disappointed in the latest rating from Leapfrog but are confident that our performance metrics have improved since the data period that these scores were tabulated. We have a strong history of exceptional performance with many rating organizations, including over twenty clinical recognitions from Healthgrades and the Joint Commission.