Lee Health Hospitals ranked among best in U.S.

All Lee Health adult acute care hospitals have been named among “America’s Best Hospitals” for 2021, a distinction that places them in the top 2 and 5 percent of hospitals nationwide, according to Health-grades, a leading online resource for information about physicians and hospitals. This designation rewards hospitals that consistently exhibit comprehensive, quality care across all clinical areas.

“We are honored to be recognized among the best in the nation for consistently providing safe, quality care,” said Larry Antonucci, M.D., MBA, president and chief executive officer of Lee Health.  “This achievement is a testament to the extraordinary care that our amazing team provides and the lasting contribution they are having on the community’s health through achieving excellent outcomes.”

This year, Cape Coral Hospital earned a coveted Top 100 spot placing it in the top 2 percent of hospitals nationwide. Gulf Coast Medical Center, HealthPark Medical Center and Lee Memorial Hospital earned the Top 250 best hospitals designation placing them in the top 5 percent. The top distinctions mean patients at Lee Health hospitals are less likely to experience medical or surgical complications and have the best chances for survival during and after hospitalization. 

The list is based entirely on clinical quality outcomes for 32 conditions and procedures. 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 America’s Best Hospitals™ award recipients, please visit: https://www.healthgrades.com/quality/hospital-ratings-awards

The honor builds on Lee Health’s hospitals’ recent recognitions for quality and safety. Last year, all four Lee Health hospitals earned “A” grades in the Leapfrog Group’s bi-annual hospital safety grades. The group also named Golisano Children’s Hospital of Southwest Florida a “top hospital” for the fourth straight year.

Learn more at www.LeeHealth.org.

Beckwith named board chair of National Partnership for Healthcare and Hospice Innovation

Hope Healthcare President and CEO Samira K. Beckwith has been named board chair of the National Partnership for Healthcare and Hospice Innovation, the national voice for not-for-profit hospice and palliative care providers.

A recognized authority on hospice care, Beckwith was a founding director of NPHI and has been a member of the organization since 2015. She has also served as vice chair and secretary of the organization committed to improving best practices in hospice delivery and applying hospice principles throughout the care continuum.

“As a longstanding member of NPHI, I have seen the power and mutual benefit of working collaboratively with other mission-driven hospice and advanced illness care programs across the country,” said Beckwith. “It supports Hope’s mission of elevating the quality of life and ensuring comfort and care for those in our community who need hope most.”

Beckwith’s leadership on local, state and national levels spans 40 years. Since becoming president of Hope Healthcare in 1991, she has led the organization through decades of growth to meet community needs with a broad spectrum of innovative programs and services including Hope Hospice and Hope Palliative Care, Hope PACE, Hope Connections, Hope Parkinson Program, and Hope Kids Care.

As a local, not-for-profit, community-based, safety net organization, Hope Hospice has served Lee, Hendry and Glades counties since 1979. Help is available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week for people facing issues related to serious illness. Hope Hospice is one of many programs and services provided by Hope Healthcare. For more information, call 239-482-4673 or visit www.HopeHCS.org.

Free autism screening for young children

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 Friday, Feb. 26, from 9 a.m. to 2 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.

Established in 1994, Golisano Children’s Hospital of Southwest Florida has been named a “Top Hospital” three consecutive years by The Leapfrog Group. It is the only recognized children’s hospital between Tampa and Miami. Lee Health opened the new 134-bed Golisano Children’s Hospital in May 2017, relocating the children’s hospital from the adjacent HealthPark Medical Center. It includes comprehensive pediatric services including a 24-hour pediatric emergency department, hematology-oncology unit, milk lab, Regional Perinatal Intensive Care Center, and Level II and Level III NICU with 70 private rooms. For more information, visit GolisanoChildrensSWFL.org