Lee County School District addresses parent’s concerns at town hall meetingLee County Sheriff’s Office intercepts drugs shipped via dark web
Lee County School District addresses parent’s concerns at town hall meeting Creating open dialog between parents and those in charge of our kid’s education. Thursday night was the first of many town hall meetings being held by the Lee County school district.
Lee County Sheriff’s Office intercepts drugs shipped via dark web The Lee County Sheriff’s Office has launched “Operation Dark Knight” to address the growing issue of drug trafficking through the dark web.
NAPLES CCSO seeks help identifying suspected school burglars in Collier County The Collier County Sheriff’s Office is asking for the public’s help in identifying four people who broke into Golden Gate Middle School.
Beloved owner of iconic Lani Kai Island Resort passes away The community is saying goodbye to a Fort Myers Beach legend.
FORT MYERS Experts give safety tips regarding reigniting heaters With record cold fronts this week, some are now turning on their heaters for the first time in a while.
NAPLES Naples Winter Wine Festival: 25 years of helping Collier County children This year marks the silver anniversary of The Naples Winter Wine Festival. It was an idea sparked by a group of like-minded friends.
NAPLES Girl’s weightlifting popularity growing in Collier County Since the sport was introduced in Collier County schools three years ago teams have seen a sharp increase in participation.
CAPE CORAL Trend of phasing out shingled roofs for metal In Florida, the trend of replacing shingle roofs with metal roofs is gaining attention.
CAPTIVA Red tide warning near Turner Beach The Florida Department of Health in Lee County has issued a health alert for the presence of red tide near Turner Beach.
FORT MYERS Fort Myers Beach Town Council facing threats over development projects Tensions have risen in Fort Myers Beach, with local council member Karen Woodson facing verbal threats and abuse.
NAPLES Attendees arrive ahead of 2025 Naples Winter Wine Festival The Naples Winter Wine Festival is set to begin on Friday night, marking its silver anniversary.
COVID-19’s hidden dangers Researchers have discovered that the neurological effects of long COVID extend beyond common symptoms like coughing and sneezing.
Locals react to Trump’s attempt to end birthright citizenship A federal judge has blocked President Donald Trump’s attempt to end the nation’s birthright citizenship policy.
Watering schedule to begin for unincorporated Lee County residents A once-a-week watering schedule is being issued for unincorporated Lee County, which is intended to conserve water and protect the aquifer.
ESTERO Upcoming election for Village of Estero canceled According to Tommy Doyle, the Lee County Supervisor of Elections, the scheduled election for the Village of Estero has been canceled.
Lee County School District addresses parent’s concerns at town hall meeting Creating open dialog between parents and those in charge of our kid’s education. Thursday night was the first of many town hall meetings being held by the Lee County school district.
Lee County Sheriff’s Office intercepts drugs shipped via dark web The Lee County Sheriff’s Office has launched “Operation Dark Knight” to address the growing issue of drug trafficking through the dark web.
NAPLES CCSO seeks help identifying suspected school burglars in Collier County The Collier County Sheriff’s Office is asking for the public’s help in identifying four people who broke into Golden Gate Middle School.
Beloved owner of iconic Lani Kai Island Resort passes away The community is saying goodbye to a Fort Myers Beach legend.
FORT MYERS Experts give safety tips regarding reigniting heaters With record cold fronts this week, some are now turning on their heaters for the first time in a while.
NAPLES Naples Winter Wine Festival: 25 years of helping Collier County children This year marks the silver anniversary of The Naples Winter Wine Festival. It was an idea sparked by a group of like-minded friends.
NAPLES Girl’s weightlifting popularity growing in Collier County Since the sport was introduced in Collier County schools three years ago teams have seen a sharp increase in participation.
CAPE CORAL Trend of phasing out shingled roofs for metal In Florida, the trend of replacing shingle roofs with metal roofs is gaining attention.
CAPTIVA Red tide warning near Turner Beach The Florida Department of Health in Lee County has issued a health alert for the presence of red tide near Turner Beach.
FORT MYERS Fort Myers Beach Town Council facing threats over development projects Tensions have risen in Fort Myers Beach, with local council member Karen Woodson facing verbal threats and abuse.
NAPLES Attendees arrive ahead of 2025 Naples Winter Wine Festival The Naples Winter Wine Festival is set to begin on Friday night, marking its silver anniversary.
COVID-19’s hidden dangers Researchers have discovered that the neurological effects of long COVID extend beyond common symptoms like coughing and sneezing.
Locals react to Trump’s attempt to end birthright citizenship A federal judge has blocked President Donald Trump’s attempt to end the nation’s birthright citizenship policy.
Watering schedule to begin for unincorporated Lee County residents A once-a-week watering schedule is being issued for unincorporated Lee County, which is intended to conserve water and protect the aquifer.
ESTERO Upcoming election for Village of Estero canceled According to Tommy Doyle, the Lee County Supervisor of Elections, the scheduled election for the Village of Estero has been canceled.
Credit: PDPics/Pixabay COVID-19 has affected all of us in different ways, whether it’s physically or mentally, but one younger generation may have an even harder time dealing with the effects of the pandemic. Experts who spoke with WINK News say how long it takes young people to bounce back might depend on their age. “When you don’t see friends, you don’t see teachers, or people that provide you an outlet, it’s become incredibly difficult for kids to thrive,” said Amy Wimpey Knight, president of the Children’s Hospital Association. “We saw 200 kids a day in person before COVID; we’re seeing 310 kids a day on a screen and 30 in person. So the demand for psychological services in kids has really exploded,” said Dr. Harold Koplewicz, founding president and medical director at Child Mind Institute. But Koplewicz said some groups are harder hit than others. “The first date, the years of training to finally make the football team, the child who wanted to get a lead or get into the chorus of the school play – those things are gone, they can’t get them back.” That’s why he said people between 13 and 24 years of age are suffering the biggest losses, and a lot of them end up in emergency rooms. “What that means is that you’ve really overrun the system of care. It’s not a place that we should be taking care of children’s behavioral health conditions,” Knight said. “We should be far removed from that – dealing with it in a community, dealing with it in a primary care physician’s office, but those have been inaccessible for children during this time.” But even as offices and schools reopen, for some of these kids, the pain of the pandemic remains, creating a new type of long hauler. “We’re thinking a lot about what we call long haulers in adults. And so these are people that will have symptoms for years to come. They’re oftentimes visible symptoms – we need to think of our children in the same way,” Knight said. No matter how long the pandemic drags on, there is hope. “We know that these things are very treatable. We know that with slight management techniques, we can get improvement in symptoms. And if it’s serious, we also know the treatment works for kids with mental health disorders,” Kopewicz said. He said other age groups are less impacted because, for adults, this is a blip we can recover from. Children five to 12 years old are resilient and can make up their academic losses quickly, and kids under five enjoy spending extra time with their families. MENTAL HEALTH RESOURCES Warning signs to look out for in your child: Isolation or refusal to attend school; Changes in eating habits; Withdrawal from peers or social activities; Withdrawal from extracurricular activities at school or in the community; and/or Reports of bullying, harassment, or intimidation in school, the community, or on social media. Kids’ Minds Matter: https://kidsmindsmatter.com/ SalusCare has a weekly zoom support group for parents. It’s free and you do not need to be a client. It’s Monday nights at 7. Zoom ID: 975 9545 3712 Password: 488302 SalusCare Emergency Services: 239-275-4242 National Suicide Prevention Hotline: 800-273-8255 Disaster Distress Helpline: www.samhsa.gov/find-help/disaster-distress-helpline Parent/Caregiver Guide for Helping Families Cope with COVID-19: www.nctsn.org/sites/default/files/resources/fact-sheet/outbreak_factsheet_1.pdf Smart Social: Monitor your kids online https://smartsocial.com/parental-control-software/ National Association of School Psychologists: School safety and crisis David Lawrence Center website for children If you or a loved one are struggling, you can find support by visiting resources on the NAMI website. For a comprehensive list of resources and organizations, you can visit This is My Brave. For additional tools, including a treatment locator, you can visit the CDC’s mental health web page. FGCU Community Counseling Center https://www.fgcu.edu/mariebcollege/counseling/communitycounseling/ National Alliance on Mental Illness, Collier County namicollier.org National Alliance on Mental Illness, Lee, Charlotte, Hendry counties namilee.org Lee Health – Behavioral Health https://www.leehealth.org/our-services/behavioral-health Lee Health Foundation’s – ‘Kids Minds Matter’ https://leehealthfoundation.org/kids-minds-matter The National Alliance for Caregiving offers a free handbook Circle of Care: A Guidebook for Mental Health Caregivers Collier County Mental Health Court ca.cjis20.org/home/collier Lee County Mental Health Court ca.cjis20.org/home/lee Depression and Bipolar Support Alliance convio.net Local Support Groups: Anxiety and Depression Association of America adaa.org U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (Mental Health and Addiction Insurance Help) hhs.gov/programs/topic-sites/mental-health-parity Southwest Florida Resource Link http://www.swflresourcelink.com/services/mental-health–substance-abuse Stop Now And Plan (SNAP) Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration https://www.samhsa.gov/ American Foundation for Suicide Prevention: Talking to kids about suicide