Crews battle 2.5-acre brush fire near Alico and Eagle Village DriveJake’s story: A mother’s mission to share her son’s story and help other young people
ESTERO Crews battle 2.5-acre brush fire near Alico and Eagle Village Drive San Carlos Park Fire District is on the scene fighting a 2.5-acre brushfire near Alico and Eagle Village Drive.
FORT MYERS Jake’s story: A mother’s mission to share her son’s story and help other young people One Fort Myers mom is turning her pain into purpose after her son, who she refers to as her “heavenly Angel,” took his own life.
CAPE CORAL New renderings for the Cape Coral Yacht Club promise a bright future The Cape Coral Yacht Club, which has been part of this community since the 1960s, will now have a new look after Hurricane Ian’s devastating effects.
LEHIGH ACRES Owner bars public from Barefoot Lake, LCSO installs Watch Tower Every weekend, roughly 200 people go to Barefoot Lake in Lehigh Acres to relax, fish, swim and have a good time.
CAPE CORAL Concern over water shortage in Cape Coral Concern is flowing through Cape Coral as neighbors are seeing their canal levels low and their wells run dry.
FORT MYERS FSW softball swinging for success in the postseason Now their focus shifts to states which means the newbies are looking to the experienced sophomores for advice.
BONITA SPRINGS Young SWFL tennis player competing with professionals You may not know her name now, but you might want remember it because 16-year-old Cookie Jarvis-Tredgett is already competing with professionals.
NORTH NAPLES ‘It’s all about connection,’ Statement Peace makes jewelry with sustainability in mind The brand Statement Peace, once started inside founder Jessica Lee’s home, is now in 2,700 stores across the country
Pine Manor 2 arrested for firing gun at birthday party in Pine Manor A party ended with two people behind bars.
FORT MYERS Shooting investigation on busy Fort Myers street Police are conducting a shooting investigation that involves a traffic crash near Michigan Avenue and Dr. Martin Luther King Boulevard.
FGCU New FGCU athletic director Colin Hargis ready to build on department’s success New FGCU athletic director Colin Hargis talks about the department’s future amid the age of NIL and the transfer portal.
FORT MYERS More middle-aged women being treated for acne You probably thought you broke up with it after high school, but acne is rearing it’s ugly blackheads in adult women.
Lee County student ran up and hit teacher in head, report shows The report says a 13-year-old student ran up and smacked a teacher in the head because multiple classmates offered him money to do so.
NAPLES Collier Planning Commission continues discussion for apartments near Fiddler’s Creek The developer of Fiddler’s Creek wants to build hundreds of luxury apartments on a slice of a 600 acre-plus property known as section 29.
CAPE CORAL Fatigue sets in for third day of FEMA hearings Flying several hours to come to a FEMA code compliance hearing in Cape Coral is the reality for John Gasparini from Maryland.
ESTERO Crews battle 2.5-acre brush fire near Alico and Eagle Village Drive San Carlos Park Fire District is on the scene fighting a 2.5-acre brushfire near Alico and Eagle Village Drive.
FORT MYERS Jake’s story: A mother’s mission to share her son’s story and help other young people One Fort Myers mom is turning her pain into purpose after her son, who she refers to as her “heavenly Angel,” took his own life.
CAPE CORAL New renderings for the Cape Coral Yacht Club promise a bright future The Cape Coral Yacht Club, which has been part of this community since the 1960s, will now have a new look after Hurricane Ian’s devastating effects.
LEHIGH ACRES Owner bars public from Barefoot Lake, LCSO installs Watch Tower Every weekend, roughly 200 people go to Barefoot Lake in Lehigh Acres to relax, fish, swim and have a good time.
CAPE CORAL Concern over water shortage in Cape Coral Concern is flowing through Cape Coral as neighbors are seeing their canal levels low and their wells run dry.
FORT MYERS FSW softball swinging for success in the postseason Now their focus shifts to states which means the newbies are looking to the experienced sophomores for advice.
BONITA SPRINGS Young SWFL tennis player competing with professionals You may not know her name now, but you might want remember it because 16-year-old Cookie Jarvis-Tredgett is already competing with professionals.
NORTH NAPLES ‘It’s all about connection,’ Statement Peace makes jewelry with sustainability in mind The brand Statement Peace, once started inside founder Jessica Lee’s home, is now in 2,700 stores across the country
Pine Manor 2 arrested for firing gun at birthday party in Pine Manor A party ended with two people behind bars.
FORT MYERS Shooting investigation on busy Fort Myers street Police are conducting a shooting investigation that involves a traffic crash near Michigan Avenue and Dr. Martin Luther King Boulevard.
FGCU New FGCU athletic director Colin Hargis ready to build on department’s success New FGCU athletic director Colin Hargis talks about the department’s future amid the age of NIL and the transfer portal.
FORT MYERS More middle-aged women being treated for acne You probably thought you broke up with it after high school, but acne is rearing it’s ugly blackheads in adult women.
Lee County student ran up and hit teacher in head, report shows The report says a 13-year-old student ran up and smacked a teacher in the head because multiple classmates offered him money to do so.
NAPLES Collier Planning Commission continues discussion for apartments near Fiddler’s Creek The developer of Fiddler’s Creek wants to build hundreds of luxury apartments on a slice of a 600 acre-plus property known as section 29.
CAPE CORAL Fatigue sets in for third day of FEMA hearings Flying several hours to come to a FEMA code compliance hearing in Cape Coral is the reality for John Gasparini from Maryland.
Photo courtesy of Pixabay via MGN After experiencing a shortage of nurses for the past few years, southwest Florida is seeing an uptick in RNs in the area. A new study released by Workforce says that Southwest Florida is minimizing the employment gap for registered nurses. It’s also the first time in three years, they’ve found no gap with healthcare workers as a whole. “We have to increase the numbers but not decrease the quality,” says Deborah Selman, who is Interim Associate Dean Nursing Administrator at Florida Southwest. Although the numbers are good as of now in SWFL, the demand for nurses will likely increase in the years ahead. “That number is growing. The numbers are growing because 40% of our nursing population are going to be retiring in the next 10 years'” said Selman. Rural hospitals, like Hendry Regional Medical Center have a hard time attracting more nurses to keep positions filled. “Recruiting nurses to small, rural hospitals is a challenge anywhere you are,” said R.D Williams, CEO of Hendry Regional Medical Center. Citing that the pay might not be as good as other hospitals like the ones in Lee County or Collier Counties. They try to offer more benefits and a better lifestyle to make up for not being able to pay as much as others. Lauren Huff, Lee Health’s Sourcing Recruiter for Nursing and Allied Health gave the following statement about nursing staff in Lee County: “Although Lee Health currently has a very low vacancy rate for bedside RNs at 1.54%, we continue to expand our health system and require additional bedside RNs. That increased need for RNs due to population growth in the area is compounded with baby boomers retiring and an increasing need nationwide for the aging population. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics’ Employment Projections 2014-2024, Registered Nursing (RN) is listed among the top occupations in terms of job growth through 2024. The RN workforce is expected to grow from 2.7 million in 2014 to 3.2 million in 2024, an increase of 439,300 or 16%. Lee Health offers Nursing Residency programs about every six weeks for newly graduating RNs as well as programs for current RNs to learn new specialties, such as Intensive Care Units, Neurology, Oncology, and many others. The majority of those positions are filled by graduating students from our local colleges. In past years, Lee Health has hired up to 300 RNs annually through our renowned Nursing Residency Program. We regularly recruit local RNs through a variety of marketing methods including open houses, hiring blitzes, visits to local colleges, social media and other digital media. Lee Health hired over 500 RNs who were new to our system in the last fiscal year, Oct. ’16 – ‘Oct. ’17. With two weeks left in our fiscal year, we are on track to hire around 400. Our vacancy rate for bedside RNs have continued to drop over the last two years. This is attributed to our organization offering RNs market competitive pay, exceptional benefits package, evidence-based practice, and hiring those who reflect the same values and mission as the organization. Other than general replacement needs throughout the health system, we are currently recruiting RNs and other healthcare professionals for our two new facilities opening in December, the Coconut Point Health & Wellness Center, and Gulf Coast Medical Center’s Skilled Nursing Unit.” And Jill Gaffoli, System Director of Human Resources for Physicians Regional Healthcare System added: “At times, recruiting and hiring nurses may be challenging as we compete for limited resources. At Physicians RegionalHealthcare System, we take a proactive approach in recruiting and retaining qualified and highly-skilled nurses to Southwest Florida. We offer sign-on bonuses, tuition reimbursement, competitive salaries and shift differentials, in addition to an outstanding benefit package. We also encourage our employees to help identify new team members and offer a referral bonus for RNs. Physicians Regional hires seasonal RNs to meet the increased patient volume we experience each year as our winter visitors come to Naples. We are very fortunate to have a highly trained nursing staff atPhysicians Regional. They are highly valued as part of our patient-centered care team. We continue to evaluate prepare for our growth. By forming partnerships with our local colleges, and offering training and development programs for career advancement, our nursing team will be ready to face the future.”