Stickboy joins Ronald McDonald House Charities Southwest Florida as technology partner

Stickboy, a Fort Myers-based technology company, has teamed up with Ronald McDonald House Charities Southwest Florida as its technology partner. Services donated thus far consist of:

* Digital transformation — created a cloud environment to lower cost and remove the need for a physical server onsite

* Technology planning for the new expansion. Partnering with Epic Commu-nication, Stickboy configured and installed network, security cameras, access control, and phone system.

* Discounted monthly help desk support for all technology needs

To date, Stickboy has donated $8,800 worth of in-kind technology services to RMHC SWFL.

Stickboy is an award-winning technology firm that is optimizing businesses, nonprofits and community organizations across Southwest Florida. Stickboy offers end-to-end technology strategy and planning while also building custom software and mobile applications. Stickboy can be reached by phone: 239-206-1193, via email: hello@stickboy.ai or online at stickboycreative.com and facebook.com/stickboycreative

The mission of Ronald McDonald House Charities of Southwest Florida is to create, find and support programs that directly impact the health and well-being of children and their families in Lee, Charlotte, Collier, Glades, and Hendry counties. RMHC of SWFL supports The Ronald McDon-ald House, The Ronald McDonald Care Mobile and The Ronald McDonald Family Room®at Golisano Children’s Hospital. For more information about RMHC Southwest Florida, visit www.rmhcswfl.org or on Facebook at www.facebook.com /rmhcswfl.

Lee Health hospitals rated in top 5 percent in the country

Cape Coral Hospital, Gulf Coast Medical Center, Lee Memorial Hospital and HealthPark Medical Center are the recipients of several Specialty Excellence A-wards and have been named among America’s 100 Best Hospitals for Specialty Care for 2021 by Healthgrades, a leading resource that connects consumers, physicians and health systems. This designation recognizes hospitals that deliver superior quality and patient outcomes within a number of specialty service lines and focus areas. 

All four hospitals earned superior performance ratings in the specialty areas of critical care, pulmonary care and stroke care, while Cape Coral Hospital and Lee Memorial Hospital also saw high performance ratings in the areas of gastrointestinal care and general surgery.

Additionally, each hospital earned Specialty Excellence Awards for cranial neurosurgery and neurosciences as well as bariatric surgery (LMH and HPMC).

A Healthgrades analysis of 2017-19 Medicare Pro-vider Analysis and Review data found patients treated at top-rated hospitals have a lower average risk of death or complications than those treated at the lowest-rated hospitals for the same procedure or condition. The 100 Best Hospitals for Specialty Care recognizes the top five-ten percent of hospitals in the nation for exhibiting clinical excellence year over year.

The list is based entirely on clinical quality outcomes for 32 conditions and procedures across 16 specialties. Healthgrades evaluates hospital performance for more than 4,500 hospitals across the nation annually based on Medicare inpatient data from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services Medicare Provider Analysis and Review (MedPAR) database. No hospital can opt-in or opt-out, nor can they pay to be evaluated.

To learn more about how Healthgrades determines the specialty excellence recipients, please visit: https://www.health grades.com/quality/specialty-excellence-americas-best-care-2021-recipients.

Mental health providers gather virtually to address behavioral health crisis

Twenty mental and behavioral health providers, advocates and non-profit organizations recently participated in a virtual health fair to explore ways the Southwest Florida community can provide cohesive coordination of care for individuals suffering from mental disorders.

The event was hosted by Kids’ Minds Matter, which raises awareness and essential funding to enhance pediatric mental and behavioral health programs and services in Southwest Florida through Lee Health, Golisano Children’s Hospital of Southwest Florida and community partners.

The event kicked off with opening remarks from Lee Health’s Dr. Paul Simeone, Ph.D., VP medical director behavioral and mental health, and was followed by keynote speaker Shannon Wiseley, a licensed mental health counselor who discussed maternal mental health.

Participating organizations presented their services, and then hosted a panel discussion that included a live Q&A session. Mental Health Navigators, who are in local schools, shared success stories about working with students, their families and teachers. The event closed with an update on the Healthy Minds initiative.

The health fair brought together mental health providers from around the area and provided professionals with the opportunity to learn from experts across all realms of mental and behavioral health care.

Due to COVID-19, the event hosted a virtual audience but presenters were onsite at Florida SouthWestern State College to record the event. Visit LeeHealth.org.

Honor a loved one with Hope Hospice’s Tree of Lights

Hope Hospice’s Tree of Lights tradition offers a meaningful way to commemorate loved ones while providing essential funds for those in need of hospice care and grief support.

Hope’s Care Centers in Fort Myers, Bonita Springs, Cape Coral and Lehigh Acres will each feature a Tree of Lights adorned with white paper butterflies. With a $30 gift, Hope will customize a butterfly with the name of your loved one. Along with having a butterfly placed on the tree of their choice, $60 donors will also receive a 2020 keepsake metal ornament engraved with the Hope Hospice logo. With a gift of $300, an 8-inch x 4-inch dedication stone will be engraved with the donor’s personal message and placed in one of Hope’s Tribute Gardens.

To learn more about honoring a loved one this holiday season, visit https://donate.hopehcs.org/treeoflights or call 239-482-4673.

Hope Healthcare, which includes Hope Hospice and Hope Kids Care programs, is a not-for-profit health care organization dedicated to providing care and comfort to every individual and their loved ones as they fulfill life’s journey. Visit www.HopeHCS.org.

Free autism screening for young children Dec. 11

Golisano Children’s Hospital of Southwest Florida, in partnership with Ronald McDonald House Charities of Southwest Florida, offers a free monthly autism spectrum disorder screening for toddlers 18 months to five years of age.

The next screening will be held on Dec. 11, from 8 a.m. to 12:30 p.m., at the Pediatric Specialist Office, 15901 Bass Road, Suite 102, Fort Myers.

It is estimated that one in every 59 children is diagnosed with some form of Autism Spectrum Disorder, making it more common than childhood cancer, juvenile diabetes and pediatric AIDS combined.

Medical consultants for the project stress that an early diagnosis can make a vast difference for toddlers and their families. They say early intensive behavioral intervention can make an immense difference not just in the development of the child, but in their families as well.

The ASD screening is conducted by the Golisano Children’s Hospital of Southwest Florida. The screenings are administered by an Advanced Practice Registered Nurse, who has extensive training and experience in typical child development and developmental disorders.

A physician referral is not required. To schedule a screening, please call 239-343-6838.