WINK NEWS How to protect your loved ones in long-term care facilities during pandemic According to the latest report released by Florida Department of Health, there are more than 1,300 nursing home residents statewide with coronavirus cases. We looked at what you can do to keep loved ones safe if you have a family member or loved one in a nursing home or long-term care facility. The first thing […]
NAPLES Naples woman tests positive for COVID-19 shortly before release from nursing home Just as COVID-19 was becoming a real threat to Southwest Florida, Diana Bortle said doctors recommended her mother Shirley be admitted to a nursing home for physical therapy. On March 19, she said Shirley was admitted to ManorCare Nursing and Rehabilitation on Lakewood Boulevard in Collier County. “I didn’t even get to go in the […]
PORT CHARLOTTE Insurance not likely to pay for business income lost by pandemic After Hurricane Charley in 2004, Dr. David Rowe said he added additional insurance coverage for his dental practice. Paradise Dental’s policy through Met-Life includes coverage that covers payroll and other expenses for business interruption. But Rowe was informed by his insurance agent that the loss he sees as a result of the pandemic is not […]
WINK NEWS Telemedicine exploding in popularity during coronavirus pandemic Telemedicine is enhancing patient care during the coronavirus pandemic: From allowing patients to visit with doctors from their homes, to allowing parents to visit their babies in the neonatal intensive care unit. Telemedicine exploding in popularity as hospital systems ramp up in the new world of social distancing. Caregility, a telehealth platform that supports about […]
PORT CHARLOTTE Dental practices face financial turmoil due to COVID-19 restrictions Dr. David Rowe said he’s had to take around $285,000 from savings in order to float his dental practice. An executive order from early March bans dentists from treating patients for anything outside of a dental emergency. Rowe said that brought the number of patients his practice sees daily drop from 50 to about six. […]
FORT MYERS Floridians net more than $200,000 in refunds due to price gouging during pandemic Floridians price gouged during the pandemic now have more than $200,000 in refunds back in their pockets. We’ve been keeping tabs on what the Attorney General’s Office is doing to crack down on price gouging. As the COVID-19 crisis heated up and items flew off the shelves, some looked to take advantage of the situation […]
WINK NEWS Some cancer prevention in limbo amid elective surgery ban Routine procedures such as colonoscopies and mammograms are on hold for some patients in Florida, as the state tries to preserve personal protective equipment. Gov. Ron DeSantis’ executive order banning elective surgeries meant that outpatient hospital procedures that can often catch cancer in its early stages hit the chopping block. “If this extends into the […]
WINK NEWS The steps it will take to bring back elective medical procedures The coronavirus put everything from routine colonoscopies to mammograms on hold. Phase one of the federal government reopening plan brings them back. New guidance out Friday says state and local leaders should not make this call until there has been a reduction in COVID-19 for at least two weeks. The head of the Florida Hospital […]
HENDRY COUNTY Rural hospitals lose half of their revenues, cut staff hours amid pandemic Rural hospitals lose half of their revenues, cut staff hours amid the pandemic. Rural hospitals in Southwest Florida are seeing a significant drop in revenue due to mandates in place as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. At both DeSoto Memorial Hospital and Hendry Regional Medical Center, there has been a 50 percent drop in […]
LEE COUNTY Bonita Springs man wants refund for $20K European cruise Brian Leis was looking forward to seeing a part of Europe he’d never had the chance to experience. He and his wife along with some family from Canada are booked on a European cruise that is set to leave from Prague on June 1. The travel company, Vantage Deluxe World Travel, has suspended all trips […]