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SCHEA to host blood drive March 12
SCHEA will be hosting a Lee Health blood drive Saturday, March 12, from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. The bus will be parked in Club Square, behind the South Cape Hub and BackStreets on Southeast 47th Terrace.
Type O+ remains critically low, and supply levels for all other blood types are also below normal. Please consider making a donation to help our local community.
Donors will receive a punch card with complimentary offers from local businesses including BackStreets Sports Bar, Coral Reef Car Wash, Greek Spot, Karma and Coconuts Unique Gift Art & Gift Boutique, Maria’s Pizzeria, Paesano’s Italian Kitchen, Pawty Depot, Penny’s Coffee Bar, Sidecar Treats, Rusty’s Raw Bar & Grill, Tiki Hut, and Zak’s Jewelry.
All blood donated will stay local to Lee County, and appointments are available to eliminate wait times.
Please call Slade at 239-900-4028 to secure your time slot.
Chronic Disease Self-Management Program starts March 16
Lee Health's "It's All About You," Chronic Disease Self-Management Program" a Self- Management Resource Program with the SMRC is offering a research based Chronic Disease Self-Management program for the community.
The program is designed for people 18 years of age or older with chronic health conditions to help them learn ways to better manage their chronic conditions and the symptoms that often accompany chronic health conditions.
The virtual workshop is 2 hours once a week for 6 weeks and it is free meeting. Wednesdays beginning March 16 from 1-3 p.m. (virtual session)
Workshops will also be offered on Fridays beginning March 18 from 9:30-11:30 a.m. (virtual)
For more information or to register, please call 239-424-3121.
Lee Health Board of Directors Officers for 2022
Lee Health is pleased to announce the newly elected officers of its Board of Directors for 2022.
Donna Clarke has been elected as board chair for 2022. She has previously served as board vice chair and board treasurer. She is a former Florida State Representative and has served as an adjunct professor with State College of Florida. Clarke earned a master's degree in Industrial Management from Georgia Institute of Technology, and has previously owned and operated an environmental consulting firm.
Therese Everly has been re-elected as vice chair. She is the executive director of the Lee County Homeless Coalition. Everly has over 35 years of experience in the healthcare and real estate industries. She is a registered respiratory therapist accompanied by a degree in Health Care Administration with both clinical and management experience. She is also a licensed Realtor with experience in sales and property management.
Diane Champion has been re-elected as secretary. She is an 11-year board liaison to the Lee Health volunteers. She was a business owner/manager for 40 years, and has been a resident of Lehigh Acres for over 40 years. Chris Hansen has been elected as treasurer. He is chief executive officer for Child Care of Southwest Florida, and is a lifelong resident of Lee County. Hansen retired as the deputy director of Lee County Public Safety & chief of Emergency Medical Services after nearly 30 years in public service and healthcare.
In addition to the officers, other board members include: Stephen R. Brown, M.D.; David Collins, Kathy Bridge-Liles; Nancy McGovern, RN, MSM; and Stephanie Meyer, BSN, RN.
The Board of Directors' primary goal is to set the mission and vision of Lee Health. The Board of Directors consists of 10 officials, from five districts, who are elected by the residents of Lee County. The Board holds regularly scheduled public meetings to set goals and objectives and to hear recommendations from the health system's administrative and medical staffs.
Learn more at www.LeeHealth.org.
Free autism screening for young children March 18
Golisano Children's Hospital of Southwest Florida, in partnership with Ronald McDonald House Charities of Southwest Florida, offers a free monthly autism spectrum disorder screening for toddlers 18 months to five years of age.
The next screening will be held on March 18, from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m., at the Pediatric Specialist Office, 15901 Bass Road, Suite 102, Fort Myers.
It is estimated that one in every 59 children is diagnosed with some form of Autism Spectrum Disorder, making it more common than childhood cancer, juvenile diabetes and pediatric AIDS combined.
Medical consultants for the project stress that an early diagnosis can make a vast difference for toddlers and their families. They say early intensive behavioral intervention can make an immense difference not just in the development of the child, but in their families as well.
The ASD screening is conducted by the Golisano Children's Hospital of Southwest Florida. The screenings are administered by an Advanced Practice Registered Nurse, who has extensive training and experience in typical child development and developmental disorders.
A physician referral is not required. To schedule a screening, please call 239-343-6838.
FSW Dental Hygiene Clinic provides low cost dental services to SWFL
Want to get your teeth cleaned and support student learning? The Dental Hygiene Clinic at Florida SouthWestern State College is currently accepting patients. The clinic is open Tuesdays, Thursdays and Fridays from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., in Building A on the FSW Lee Campus, 8099 College Parkway, Fort Myers.
The FSW Dental Hygiene Clinic provides low-cost dental services, including examinations, cleanings, x-rays and dental sealants performed by FSW Dental Hygiene students under the guidance of professional FSW Dental Hygiene faculty.
The cost is $30 for children ages 17 and under and $50 for adults.
For more information or to schedule an appointment, call the FSW Dental Hygiene Clinic at 239-985-8334.
Florida SouthWestern State College is Southwest Florida's largest and most affordable institution of higher education. Annually serving nearly 22,000 students globally, FSW offers a variety of nationally-ranked, career-focused academic programs with two- and four-year degrees and professional certifications, several with 100 percent licensure pass and job placements rates. Study and travel abroad opportunities are available for students through FSW's Center for International Education. Students are also active in clubs and programs catered to their interests. Visit www.FSW.edu for more information.
Richard M. Schulze Family Foundation issues $1.5 million community challenge grant to expand local cancer services
Richard M. Schulze Family Foundation donated $1 million with an additional $1.5 million community challenge grant to expand cancer services at Lee Health Bonita Health Center. In recognition of this generosity, the facility will be named Richard M. Schulze Family Foundation Cancer Clinic.
To provide state-of-the-art care closer to home for residents and visitors in south Lee County and Collier County, Lee Health plans to renovate space at the current Lee Health Bonita Health Center to support a new cancer center with a 32-chair infusion center, four individual treatment rooms and 12 exam rooms. The project's estimated total cost is $10.4 million.
The Richard M. Schulze Family Foundation challenge grant is contingent on community support. With donations from the Southwest Florida community, Lee Health Foundation must raise $1.5 million in donations for the Bonita Springs project to receive the $1.5 million grant from Schulze Family Foundation.
Patients receiving cancer treatment often have infusion several times a week. Traveling to and from Lee Health Regional Cancer Center located in Fort Myers can sometimes be difficult to endure and complicated to arrange. By early 2023, the Bonita Springs center will have capacity to serve 30,000 infusions and 12,000 visits to the physician clinic annually, as well as provide access to patient navigation services and other care and support.
Best Buy Founder Dick Schulze created Richard M. Schulze Family Foundation in 2004 to give back to communities where he and his family grew up, including Minnesota where Best Buy was founded, and Florida, where he now lives. Schulze Family Foundation supports human and social services, education, and health and medicine with a particular focus on diseases that hit close to home. In 2001, Schulze lost his wife Sandra six months after she was diagnosed with mesothelioma, an aggressive cancer that affects the lungs.
For information on Lee Health Regional Cancer Center, increased access to care for the Southwest Florida community, and how to contribute to the challenge grant, please visit LeeHealthFoundation.org/ ChallengeAccepted.