Today’s Stats
Lee Health has:
- 118 COVID-19 patients isolated in our hospitals
- Submitted 21,061 specimens for testing
- Discharged 621 patients since the start of the pandemic
- 161 employees quarantined; 14 exposed at work and positive for COVID-19
- Click here for graphs showing a running total of specimens collected for testing and positive cases hospitalized.
Today’s News
A Message from Dr. Larry Antonucci
On June 17, I will be participating in The News-Press, Naples Daily News and WGCU Public Media “100 Days of Coronavirus Town Hall.” I’ll be joining other leaders in our community to talk about what a “new normal” looks like and how we move forward safely and successfully.
It is hard to believe we are coming up on 100 days of living with COVID-19 in our community. In a lot of ways, it feels much longer, but we are probably still in the early days of living with the virus. Until we have herd immunity and a vaccine, we are going to have to carefully watch the spread of the virus in our community. That means, maintaining the habits that have helped us so far: physical and social distancing, good hand hygiene and wearing a mask or face covering when out in public.
I believe that (and understand why) these last 100 days have weighed heavily on a lot of us and many are experiencing social distancing- or general coronavirus-fatigue. I understand that we want to “get back to normal,” but we have to stay the course and continue protecting ourselves and each other because COVID-19 is still in our community.
I hope you will tune in to the “100 Days of Coronavirus Town Hall” next week. For more information on how to connect, visit www.news-press.com, www.naplesnews.com or www.wgcu.com.
Recovered from COVID-19? Donate Convalescent Plasma
As a registered participating site in Mayo Clinic’s COVID-19 Convalescent Plasma Study, Lee Health is in immediate need of convalescent plasma donations to help refill supply levels and aid patients currently fighting COVID-19 in our hospitals. Convalescent plasma refers to blood plasma collected from people who have recovered from COVID-19. That plasma is then used to treat others with advanced illness as part of the clinical trial.
If you have previously tested positive for COVID-19, and your symptoms resolved, and you later tested negative for the virus, please consider donating blood. Email COVID.Plasma@LeeHealth.Org to volunteer.
All donations collected by Lee Health stay in our community and are used exclusively for Lee Health patients.
A Clarification on Visitation at Regional Cancer Center and Golisano Children’s Hospital
To clarify the updates to the visitation guidelines, Regional Cancer Center is still restricting visitors. One visitor may accompany adult patients for any appointment registration, but must wait outside after the registration process is complete. These restrictions are in place to enable physical distancing for the safety of our patients and staff. Golisano Children’s Hospital also updated their visitation guidelines: Each patient will be allowed two designated visitors noted upon admission (older than 12 years of age) can be with the patient, in their room, at all times. This also includes the Sedation, Outpatient Pediatric Oncology and the Pediatric Perianesthesia areas. Exceptions apply to the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU). For more information about Lee Health’s current visitation guidelines, click here.
Welcome Back, Dorian!
Dorian, Golisano Children’s Hospital of Southwest Florida’s in-hospital therapy dog, is headed back to work! Though he enjoyed his COVID-19 vacation that was full of extra playtime and naps, Dorian is excited to provide comfort and smiles to our patients again.
Dorian is a golden doodle, and he works full-time on the pediatric medical/surgery and pediatric intensive care units (PICU) with his primary and secondary handlers. He also responds to consults throughout Golisano Children’s Hospital, including the hematology/oncology unit, Pediatric Sedation Center and pre-operative areas.
For now, Dorian’s visits will be limited to ensure the safety of our patients, families and staff. Dorian and his team are following all protocols to maintain safety, and will continue to follow our hand hygiene and bathing policies. If you happen to see Dorian in the hospital, we ask that you use hand sanitizer before and after petting him.
Click here to see pictures of our cutest and furriest employee. You can also keep up with Dorian’s adventures on Instagram by following @Dorian_TheDoodle.
A Message of Gratitude from Lee Health’s Chief Foundation and Development Officer
Chris Simoneau, chief foundation and development officer, wrote a heartfelt letter of appreciation to the community for their unwavering support, strength and generosity throughout the COVID-19 crisis. His letter also details the Lee Health Foundation’s ongoing efforts to support our patients, staff and community. Read his profound message, here.