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Gov. Ron DeSantis on Thursday signed a package of bills at a special signing ceremony in Bonita Springs that supporters say will help improve access to health care, boost the number of doctors in Florida and address issues such as mental-health treatment.The ceremony highlighted area Republican legislators who had a hand in the legislation including Senate President Kathleen Passidomo, a Naples Republican.
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Florida’s controversial surgeon general is drawing criticism for his handling of an elementary school’s measles outbreak, telling parents of unvaccinated children it is their choice whether their students attend class — a contravention of federal guidelines calling for their mandatory exclusion.Dr. Joseph Ladapo, nationally known for his outspoken skepticism toward the COVID-19 vaccine, sent a letter this week to parents at Manatee Bay Elementary School near Fort Lauderdale after six students contracted the highly contagious and potentially deadly virus. Such outbreaks are rare in the United States, though reported cases have spiked from 58 for all of 2023 to 35 already this year.The letter notes that when a school has a measles outbreak, it is “normally recommended” that unvaccinated students who haven’t previously had the disease be kept home for three weeks “because of the high likelihood” they will be infected.
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Fort Myers City water customers are unaffected by a boil water notice issued Monday; Fort Myers residents who are Lee County Utilities customers must boil water
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It’s been a rough few years for the children of southwest Florida. Between the COVID-19 pandemic and a community-shattering hurricane in Ian, it’s difficult for anyone of any age to not feel the doom and gloom.These challenges paired with academic stress, pressure from social media and the looming risk of school shootings are hitting the region’s youth the hardest.
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The precautionary boil water notice was declared in Charlotte County at the Babcock Ranch community on Monday.
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U.S. and Canadian officials this month discussed the Biden administration’s approval of a Florida plan to import cheaper prescription drugs from Canada, which is concerned about safeguarding its drug supply.The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services issued a summary Monday about a Jan. 12 discussion between U.S. Secretary of Health Xavier Becerra and Canadian Health Minister Mark Holland.
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The Florida Senate on Thursday unanimously passed a wide-ranging plan that President Kathleen Passidomo and other supporters tout as a strategy to expand health-care access as the state’s population continues to grow.
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Lee Health announced Wednesday that the health system's hospitals are reaching capacity.
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The Florida House on Friday began moving forward with its version of a plan aimed at boosting the number of physicians in the state and taking other steps to expand access to health care. The House Select Committee on Health Innovation unanimously approved a 315-page bill (HB 1549), sponsored by Majority Leader Michael Grant, R-Port Charlotte. The vote came a day after the Senate Fiscal Policy Committee approved the Senate version of the plan, a top priority of Senate President Kathleen Passidomo, R-Naples.