Caught on Camera: Firefighters respond to dumpster fire at FGCUFGCU students affected by Covid celebrate first commencement ceremony
FORT MYERS Caught on Camera: Firefighters respond to dumpster fire at FGCU San Carlos Park Fire District responded to a dumpster fire Sunday afternoon.
FORT MYERS FGCU students affected by Covid celebrate first commencement ceremony Graduation is a right of passage from school to the real world, but for these students, reality hit them in 2020.
PUNTA GORDA Motorcycle crash leaves 1 dead One person has died after a motorcycle crash in Charlotte County.
LEE COUNTY Lee Deputies work to track down transient sex offenders who fail to register WINK News Anchor Corey Lazar goes on patrol with Lee County Deputies in search of transient sex offenders who don’t register.
National Hurricane Preparedness Week: Know your risk Hurricane season starts on June 1st, but the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration has designated the week of May 5 through May 11 as National Hurricane Preparedness Week. Each day, Meteorologist Lauren Kreidler will be highlighting ways to stay prepared ahead of this year’s hurricane season.
Southwest Florida The Weather Authority: Stay alert – chance of showers and storms on Sunday Hot, humid, and more rain for parts of Southwest Florida on Sunday.
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.
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.
FORT MYERS Caught on Camera: Firefighters respond to dumpster fire at FGCU San Carlos Park Fire District responded to a dumpster fire Sunday afternoon.
FORT MYERS FGCU students affected by Covid celebrate first commencement ceremony Graduation is a right of passage from school to the real world, but for these students, reality hit them in 2020.
PUNTA GORDA Motorcycle crash leaves 1 dead One person has died after a motorcycle crash in Charlotte County.
LEE COUNTY Lee Deputies work to track down transient sex offenders who fail to register WINK News Anchor Corey Lazar goes on patrol with Lee County Deputies in search of transient sex offenders who don’t register.
National Hurricane Preparedness Week: Know your risk Hurricane season starts on June 1st, but the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration has designated the week of May 5 through May 11 as National Hurricane Preparedness Week. Each day, Meteorologist Lauren Kreidler will be highlighting ways to stay prepared ahead of this year’s hurricane season.
Southwest Florida The Weather Authority: Stay alert – chance of showers and storms on Sunday Hot, humid, and more rain for parts of Southwest Florida on Sunday.
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.
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.
For 40 years Lee Health President Larry Antonucci has served the Lee County community. He arrived at the hospital system straight out of residency. In 1983, Lee Memorial was the only hospital. Now there are four acute care hospitals, plus primary care and outpatient facilities and much more. It was never Antanucci’s plan to become the top doctor for the hospital system. “My plan was to be a practicing obstetrician-gynecologist for my career,” Antonucci told WINK News during a recent interview about the healthcare system’s future. He delivered babies for 24 years. But the only thing constant in life is change. Before becoming part of the hospital administration, Dr. Larry Antonucci delivered babies at Lee Health. When the CEO of Lee Health asked him to join the administration, Antonucci said he couldn’t say no. “This is an opportunity to take care of people a thousand at a time, instead of one at a time,” Antonucci said. In a conversation with WINK News, Antonucci reflected about the past and discussed future care. “I think healthcare is going to change,” he said. “I think we’re going to see a lot of transformation in healthcare, and we want to be at the front edge of that.” Antonucci said he sees healthcare shifting care away from the hospital to home. “We’re looking at a hospital-at-home program right now to be able to take care of lower acuity people in their own homes.” Antonucci said. “It’s really going to be part of a team that can transform healthcare and deliver healthcare in a better way, in a more patient-centered, family-centered way, one that keeps people out of the hospital, that keeps people out of the emergency room.” This could be helpful because wait at emergency departments times during season continue to be an issue. “I don’t think there’s any way to completely resolve it,” he said. “It would be like saying how you’re going to affect the traffic on U.S. 41.” But that doesn’t mean Lee Health isn’t trying, Antonnuci said. The system has what he calls “our front door strategy,” which calls for improving access to primary care doctors. Dr. Larry Antonucci has worked at Lee Health since after his residency. (CREDIT: Lee Health) WINK News also asked Antonucci about the use of AI in medicine. “AI is at its infancy as it relates to medicine,” he said. “Healthcare is a high-touch field, that you’re never going to replace the bedside nurse and what needs to be done there. And you’re never going to replace the skill of a surgeon and the decision-making and the judgments that have to be made in the middle of a surgical care.” Antonucci said the hospital system will have to watch the AI field as it evolves and see what kind of safeguards there will be. “I think there’s always the potential, and I think, you know, there’s plenty of issues that we deal with now in healthcare with regard to fraud and abuse, and I think that’s not going to stop, but we just got to stay on top of it,” Antonucci said. There are still times when patients here must leave Lee County for treatment. Antonucci said his team is actively recruiting specialists to meet the needs of the area’s growing community. Lee Health also plans to build a new hospital along Challenger Boulevard, but Antonucci told WINK that no definite plans are set.