Most Wanted Wednesday: Southwest Florida’s most wanted suspects for April 17, 2024LCSO using high-tech license plate readers to keep the community safe
CAPE CORAL, Fla. Community leaders and veterans gathered Wednesday night to discuss the challenges veterans face. The summit was held at the American Military Veterans Foundation’s headquarters on 1490 NE Pine Island Road. Wait times at Veterans Administration hospitals have nearly doubled, leaving veterans suffering with suicidal thoughts and post-traumatic stress disorder without help. Now veterans are demanding changes be made to provide care in a timely manner. State Sen. Lizbeth Benacquisto explained the delayed treatment is partially due to staffing shortages, as specialized physicians aren’t as readily available. “It is an issue whose time has come and I think Spencer, who is representing Congressman Rooney, acknowledged that, and now it’s just about getting the funding on the federal level to make that a reality,” she said. The foundation proposed the creation of safe zones where veterans who are waiting on treatment at the VA can receive medical care, as well as “Camo Alerts,” an alert that would inform the public about a missing person with post-traumatic stress disorder.