Fort Myers woman accused of stealing, selling boat and trailerLee County Supervisor of Elections to mail sample ballots
CAPE CORAL Fort Myers woman accused of stealing, selling boat and trailer A woman has been arrested after allegedly stealing a boat and trailer and trying to sell it off by forging the owner’s signature.
Lee County Supervisor of Elections to mail sample ballots The Lee County Supervisor of Elections will soon begin sending out mail sample ballots for the upcoming 2024 election.
The Weather Authority The Weather Authority: More rain and storms this Thursday afternoon and evening The Weather Authority is tracking more rain and storms this Thursday, possibly heavily impacting some areas this afternoon.
FORT MYERS Fort Myers CRA discusses downtown expansion On Wednesday, the Fort Myers Community Redevelopment Agency discussed an expansion of the area they oversee.
PUNTA GORDA Punta Gorda couple salvages what’s left after dramatic rescue A Punta Gorda couple is awaiting FEMA assistance after dealing with damage from Helene.
BOCA GRANDE Rebuilding after Hurricane Helene and avoiding contractor pitfalls Neighbors across Southwest Florida and beyond are picking up the pieces and assessing the damage left by Hurricane Helene.
PORT CHARLOTTE Areas of Port Charlotte flooded due to heavy rain Some areas of Port Charlotte are underwater after heavy rain Wednesday evening.
PINE ISLAND The Greater Pine Island Alliance is seeking volunteers to help recovery efforts The Greater Pine Island Alliance is looking for volunteers, and age or skill set does not matter; if you want to help, they have a job for you.
FORT MYERS Whiskey Creek residents frustrated by worsened flooding Whiskey Creek residents do not know why flooding has worsened, but they said they want something done about it.
BONITA SPRINGS Bonita Springs firefighters rescue a bulldog in Helene’s aftermath In the aftermath of Hurricane Helene, Bonita Springs Fire Station 27 received a guest: a sweet little bulldog.
FGCU professor speaks on port worker strike 45,000 port workers on the East and Gulf Coasts are officially on strike as of Wednesday after their labor contract with the U.S. Maritime Alliance expired.
CAPE CORAL Oasis head football coach leading the Sharks after 22 years with Cape Coral Police Oasis High School head football coach Brice Bearman in his first season after retiring from the Cape Coral Police Department after 22 years.
NAPLES Naples City Council votes to repair Naples Pier Though Helene did cause further damage to the Naples Pier, the city manager said it would not get in the way of its reconstruction.
Florida voter registration deadline upcoming Monday, Oct. 7, is the deadline to register to vote in November’s general election.
FORT MYERS BEACH The future of Church of the Ascension after Helene One of the hardest hit churches by Hurricane Ian is on Fort Myers Beach. Church of the Ascension got more water from Helene, but there wasn’t much left to damage.
CAPE CORAL Fort Myers woman accused of stealing, selling boat and trailer A woman has been arrested after allegedly stealing a boat and trailer and trying to sell it off by forging the owner’s signature.
Lee County Supervisor of Elections to mail sample ballots The Lee County Supervisor of Elections will soon begin sending out mail sample ballots for the upcoming 2024 election.
The Weather Authority The Weather Authority: More rain and storms this Thursday afternoon and evening The Weather Authority is tracking more rain and storms this Thursday, possibly heavily impacting some areas this afternoon.
FORT MYERS Fort Myers CRA discusses downtown expansion On Wednesday, the Fort Myers Community Redevelopment Agency discussed an expansion of the area they oversee.
PUNTA GORDA Punta Gorda couple salvages what’s left after dramatic rescue A Punta Gorda couple is awaiting FEMA assistance after dealing with damage from Helene.
BOCA GRANDE Rebuilding after Hurricane Helene and avoiding contractor pitfalls Neighbors across Southwest Florida and beyond are picking up the pieces and assessing the damage left by Hurricane Helene.
PORT CHARLOTTE Areas of Port Charlotte flooded due to heavy rain Some areas of Port Charlotte are underwater after heavy rain Wednesday evening.
PINE ISLAND The Greater Pine Island Alliance is seeking volunteers to help recovery efforts The Greater Pine Island Alliance is looking for volunteers, and age or skill set does not matter; if you want to help, they have a job for you.
FORT MYERS Whiskey Creek residents frustrated by worsened flooding Whiskey Creek residents do not know why flooding has worsened, but they said they want something done about it.
BONITA SPRINGS Bonita Springs firefighters rescue a bulldog in Helene’s aftermath In the aftermath of Hurricane Helene, Bonita Springs Fire Station 27 received a guest: a sweet little bulldog.
FGCU professor speaks on port worker strike 45,000 port workers on the East and Gulf Coasts are officially on strike as of Wednesday after their labor contract with the U.S. Maritime Alliance expired.
CAPE CORAL Oasis head football coach leading the Sharks after 22 years with Cape Coral Police Oasis High School head football coach Brice Bearman in his first season after retiring from the Cape Coral Police Department after 22 years.
NAPLES Naples City Council votes to repair Naples Pier Though Helene did cause further damage to the Naples Pier, the city manager said it would not get in the way of its reconstruction.
Florida voter registration deadline upcoming Monday, Oct. 7, is the deadline to register to vote in November’s general election.
FORT MYERS BEACH The future of Church of the Ascension after Helene One of the hardest hit churches by Hurricane Ian is on Fort Myers Beach. Church of the Ascension got more water from Helene, but there wasn’t much left to damage.
Inside the Neighborhood Health Clinic There are not enough primary care doctors to go around, and that’s just one piece of the puzzle for why all of Southwest Florida is considered “medically underserved.” It’s been this way for years, and at the rate we’re going, Florida is projected to have the second-largest physician shortage in the country by 2030. According to the most recent data from Lee Health’s Community Health Needs Assessment, stacked up next to the state and the country, Lee County technically had a higher number of primary care physicians per 100,000 people before the pandemic. But add that we also have an older population, and supply is not meeting demand. Karen Smiley and her husband moved to Cape Coral three years ago. “I made a phone call at the end of September,” she said. “They told me it takes six months to get an appointment. I said I could be dead by then.” She called around and finally found a doctor who could see her, but it would still take three months. She says she has felt like she has had to put her health at risk because of this. “I did when I started looking for a doctor. And when I found some health issues, it was like, this is crazy,” Smiley said. The U.S. Health Resources and Services Administration designates nearly all of Southwest Florida as a “Medically Underserved Area” or MUA. That’s 100% of households from Punta Gorda down to Marco Island defined by “having too few primary care providers, high infant mortality, high-poverty, or a high elderly population.” “Establishing the doctor is terrible down here. And I’m sure everybody else is having the same problem with everybody moving here,” Smiley said. “It’s just gonna get worse, I think, before it gets better.” Lee Health President Dr. Larry Antonucci says the nationwide physician shortage is likely to get worse. “There’s been an imbalance for many, many years,” he said. But he says they’re bringing in doctors as quickly as they can and plan to hire 100 this year alone. “As the number of medical schools has increased, the number of residency positions have not. So, many young men and women will go to medical school, but then they’ll leave the state to do their residency,” Antonucci said. In 2014, Lee Health partnered with Florida State University to train and keep physicians here to practice family medicine. Since then, Antonucci says about half have stayed in Lee County. Next year, Lee Health will start an internal medicine program in Cape Coral, training 12 new doctors a year. “We’re doing a lot of things to bring physicians to the community,” Antonucci said. “It’s a great community to live in. It’s a great community to practice in. And we’re doing everything we can to improve access.” In Collier County, the Neighborhood Health Clinic tries to fill the gap too. “We’re sort of your last stop,” said CEO Leslie Lascheid. “If you come to our door and you’re sitting on our steps, it’s because you are now at the safety net of the safety nets.” The clinic serves low-income working adults – many in the service industry – without insurance who fall outside the criteria for government programs like Medicaid or Medicare. Lascheid says that’s roughly 50,000 people in Collier. “All 50,000 don’t need us today, thank goodness, but we’re here for them,” Lascheid said. With more than 250 volunteer doctors across several fields of medicine, the clinic specializes in chronic disease management. “I may come in and say my shoulder hurts because I carry heavy trays. But in examining them, we find out that they have hypertension, diabetes,” Lascheid said. “You know how important meds and food and exercise and the education piece, how important that is. Can you imagine trying to navigate that with no help and no medical facility?” The organization, entirely funded by private donations, is growing. Lascheid says their services take some weight off overwhelmed emergency rooms. “The more we can take this burden, people who don’t know where to go for health care, and get them directed here, the better for all the communities,” Lascheid said. Smiley will soon trade her private insurance for Medicare, but getting an appointment isn’t so hard anymore now that she’s established. “I think they need qualified doctors around here. And another hospital in Cape Coral.” Antonucci said Lee Health is advocating for improvements to telemedicine, and it regularly assesses what the community needs to figure out which areas are underserved and work to open clinics there. The federal government has also tried to incentivize doctors to choose primary care through scholarships and loan repayment. Over the last decade, it has also increased Medicare reimbursements for primary care and lowered it for higher-paid specialty positions.