There are severe blood shortages throughout Florida and that has prompted a call for Southwest Floridians to donate platelets or whole blood.Laura Rosen, community relations manager for the NCH Community Blood Center in Collier County, says the call to donate is to ensure local blood inventories remain optimal for patients in area hospitals.

Glenmark Pharmaceuticals is voluntarily recalling 114 batches of potassium chloride extended-release capsules because of failed dissolution. Information from the Mahwah, N.J. company posted on the PR Newswire said the failed dissolution of potassium chloride extended release capsules may cause high potassium levels, also known as hyperkalemia, which can result in irregular heart beat that can lead to cardiac arrest.

A chronic disease management provider with several offices in Florida has agreed to pay $14.9 million to resolve alleged false claims.The U.S. Department of Justice said that Bluestone Physician Services of Florida LLC, Bluestone Physician Services, P.A. and Bluestone National LLC, operating in Florida, Minnesota and Wisconsin, respectively, agreed to the settlement recently.

There is a critical need for types O negative and A negative blood in Collier County.The county’s Community Blood Center says there is a critically low inventory of those blood products, the result of a sudden increase in area usage.The only way to obtain adequate levels of transfusable blood is through donations from the community’s members.

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.

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.

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

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.

The precautionary boil water notice was declared in Charlotte County at the Babcock Ranch community on Monday.