Time for a VA hospital in Cape Coral
To the editor:
City of Cape Coral Council Members, Staff, and Candidates — THANKS go to ALL of those who helped secure the commitment from HCA Healthcare Inc to build a second hospital in Cape Coral, especially the City’s Economic and Business Development professionals responsible for recruiting businesses, working with developers, communicating with companies and helping move economic-development projects forward.
Now that HCA has committed to build a new Hospital in Cape Coral, and Lee Health has begun building a new Outpatient Center on Veterans Parkway, as the area continues to grow rapidly, and the need for more healthcare availability grows along with it, this is offered to request the Cape Coral City Council show foresight and focus effort to expand the Lee County VA Healthcare Center, by working to get the necessary political commitments, approvals, and funding to make it a full service VA Hospital to serve the over 100,000 Veterans in Southwest Florida.
The Council could begin to foster this non-partisan effort by making it a stated goal, through a “proclamation” for example, by giving appropriate direction for the City’s Economic Development staff and lobbyists; and by communicating and collaborating with other levels of government staffs (like the Lee County Economic Development Office, the Horizon Council & Foundation, and the Florida Department of Veterans Affairs), and with our elected officials in Lee and surrounding counties, as well as with our state and federal senators and congressman, and our governor. They could also reach out to SWFL veterans organizations (examples — American Legion, VFW, MOAA, VVA, AMVETS, DAV, and the Brotherhood of Heroes Resource Center and Museum), veteran-owned businesses, the Veterans Business Council, and Chambers of Commerce in Southwest Florida with the idea of establishing a volunteer “Southwest Florida VA Hospital Task Force.”
The Lee County Board of County Commissioners made this effort a Strategic Initiative, and their Veterans Advisory Committee prepared an information sheet. Hopefully the Cape Coral City Council will soon make this effort both a goal and a priority, and join Lee County and the many Floridians who are working to make the Sunshine State the most veteran-friendly, appreciated, and sought after State in the Nation.
This effort should recognize that there is also land available now to consider encouraging revival of the Victory Park development plan, or a least the concept, and to consider expanding the concept to include a Veterans Home Campus for independent, assisted, and full nursing and memory care. Plus, this effort might spur additional Veteran focused development concepts and ideas in both Cape Coral and our surrounding communities.
This effort should also recognize that having a VA Hospital in Cape Coral would attract military retirees and future retirees to move to the area and become future homeowners, business owners, or employees, as well as consumers of both medical and other services, like hotels/motels, rental properties, restaurants, entertainment, educational institutions, and tourist attractions, so the Southwest Florida Economy would benefit.
This effort should additionally recognize the fact that there is land available now for an expanded VA medical campus in Cape Coral, and that there is synergy in having additional medical services available that benefits both veterans and area community members, and tourists. Such synergy can already be seen in other areas of Florida (examples: Tampa/Orlando/Miami/Jacksonville), and other areas of the US (examples -San Antonio TX, Washington DC, San Diego CA, Boston MA ).
This effort is appropriate for a city that has a history of recognizing Veterans with a Veterans Memorial Parkway, the Veterans Memorial Park at Four Mile Cove Ecological Preserve and the Veterans City Park, plus being designated as a Purple Heart City (meaning it formally recognizes the sacrifices made by men and women veterans killed or wounded in combat), and holding an annual Veterans Day Parade. Plus, remember the School District of Lee County has the largest JROTC Program in the nation, and Florida Gulf Coast University has a Military and Veteran Success Program.
As the 25th Anniversary of 9/11 fast approaches, and we REMEMBER ALL those we lost and THANK ALL those who responded, this request is respectfully submitted on behalf of the many Veterans who reside in Southwest Florida, and myself,
Earl H. Morgan Jr.
USAF Retired
Cape Coral