Pedestrian injured in crash on McGregor BoulevardFamily of Eagles: FGCU volleyball star graduates with Master’s Degree
FORT MYERS Pedestrian injured in crash on McGregor Boulevard The Fort Myers Police Department is investigating a crash that left at least one person injured Saturday night.
Family of Eagles: FGCU volleyball star graduates with Master’s Degree Saturday marked a special day for Florida Gulf Coast University as more than 1,800 students graduated. For one student-athlete, graduating from FGCU runs in the family.
lehigh acres LCSO: Man shot by car owner protecting property The Lee County Sheriff’s Office responded to a shooting in Lehigh Acres early Saturday morning.
NORTH FORT MYERS Lee County residents wait hours for D-SNAP assistance The supplemental nutrition assistance program (SNAP) is at the Lee Civic Center all weekend, ready to help southwest Florida.
SOUTHWEST FLORIDA First eaglet hatches in famous SWFL eagle nest Welcome E24! The third eaglet from the nest of M15 and F23 has hatched according to the Southwest Florida eagle camera.
Rock for Equality: SWFL non-profit hosts benefit concert for Palestine A Southwest Florida non-profit hosted a benefit concert on Friday night to help with humanitarian aid in Palestine.
Warm, breezy Saturday with a few showers possible The Weather Authority is forecasting a breezy, warm weekend in store across Southwest Florida, with the chance of a few showers, particularly on Saturday.
CAPE CORAL Active investigation underway in South Cape Coral Cape Coral police are investigating at a home on Southwest 49th Terrace in South Cape Coral early Saturday morning.
16 transported after 2 airboats crash in Collier County According to the Collier County Sheriff’s Office, two airboats crashed south of U.S. 41 east between mile markers 74 and 75, leaving well over a dozen people injured.
SOUTHWEST FLORIDA New bill filed: Auto shop and law enforcement must work together to solve hit-and-run crashes There could be new detectives on the block, located in your nearest auto shop. A new state bill aims at trying to stop hit-and-run drivers from getting away.
CAPE CORAL New leash on life; Cape Coral shelter dog beats cancer with drug being tested for humans A drug now being studied in human trials to kill cancerous tumors, is already approved and helping animals.
CAPE CORAL City of Cape Coral planning a new interchange with I-75 The city of Cape Coral is in the early stages of planning a new interchange with I-75, an idea that has been discussed for more than a decade.
Tracking invasive species after hurricanes Hurricanes Helene and Milton didn’t just bring wind and rain, they brought new threats to southwest Florida’s ecosystem.
PUNTA GORDA Woman in Punta Gorda shooting charged with 2nd degree murder A woman in a homicide investigation on Nasturtium Drive in Punta Gorda has been charged with 2nd-degree murder.
Lee County mother continuing fight to get children a bus stop The school district already told her she lives too close to the school to qualify for a bus route but she has not given up.
FORT MYERS Pedestrian injured in crash on McGregor Boulevard The Fort Myers Police Department is investigating a crash that left at least one person injured Saturday night.
Family of Eagles: FGCU volleyball star graduates with Master’s Degree Saturday marked a special day for Florida Gulf Coast University as more than 1,800 students graduated. For one student-athlete, graduating from FGCU runs in the family.
lehigh acres LCSO: Man shot by car owner protecting property The Lee County Sheriff’s Office responded to a shooting in Lehigh Acres early Saturday morning.
NORTH FORT MYERS Lee County residents wait hours for D-SNAP assistance The supplemental nutrition assistance program (SNAP) is at the Lee Civic Center all weekend, ready to help southwest Florida.
SOUTHWEST FLORIDA First eaglet hatches in famous SWFL eagle nest Welcome E24! The third eaglet from the nest of M15 and F23 has hatched according to the Southwest Florida eagle camera.
Rock for Equality: SWFL non-profit hosts benefit concert for Palestine A Southwest Florida non-profit hosted a benefit concert on Friday night to help with humanitarian aid in Palestine.
Warm, breezy Saturday with a few showers possible The Weather Authority is forecasting a breezy, warm weekend in store across Southwest Florida, with the chance of a few showers, particularly on Saturday.
CAPE CORAL Active investigation underway in South Cape Coral Cape Coral police are investigating at a home on Southwest 49th Terrace in South Cape Coral early Saturday morning.
16 transported after 2 airboats crash in Collier County According to the Collier County Sheriff’s Office, two airboats crashed south of U.S. 41 east between mile markers 74 and 75, leaving well over a dozen people injured.
SOUTHWEST FLORIDA New bill filed: Auto shop and law enforcement must work together to solve hit-and-run crashes There could be new detectives on the block, located in your nearest auto shop. A new state bill aims at trying to stop hit-and-run drivers from getting away.
CAPE CORAL New leash on life; Cape Coral shelter dog beats cancer with drug being tested for humans A drug now being studied in human trials to kill cancerous tumors, is already approved and helping animals.
CAPE CORAL City of Cape Coral planning a new interchange with I-75 The city of Cape Coral is in the early stages of planning a new interchange with I-75, an idea that has been discussed for more than a decade.
Tracking invasive species after hurricanes Hurricanes Helene and Milton didn’t just bring wind and rain, they brought new threats to southwest Florida’s ecosystem.
PUNTA GORDA Woman in Punta Gorda shooting charged with 2nd degree murder A woman in a homicide investigation on Nasturtium Drive in Punta Gorda has been charged with 2nd-degree murder.
Lee County mother continuing fight to get children a bus stop The school district already told her she lives too close to the school to qualify for a bus route but she has not given up.
Dr. Larry Antonucci, CEO and president of Lee Health. (CREDIT: WINK News) 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.