WEEk of octobEr 11, 2023 FLIER INSIDE
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VolumE 47, NumbEr 23
County officials discuss roundabout and other issues at GPICA meeting By PAULETTE LeBLANC
pleblanc@breezenewspapers.com
Lee County Board Commissioner Kevin Ruane, along with other county officials, attended the Greater Pine Island Civic Association meeting Tuesday, Oct. 3, to answer questions from islanders. According to Ruane, the question posed most regarding Pine Island is the possibility of a roundabout at the four-way stop where Pine Island Road meets Stringfellow Road. The project is not being taken into
consideration at this time, he said, largely due to requests from islanders. That notwithstanding, additional space and money would be necessary to make the roundabout possible. “I can assure you, there’s not a commissioner that has $2.6 million extra to do a project that you all don’t want,” Ruane said. Department of Transportation Deputy Director Rob Price told GPICA members that there was an analysis done on the intersection of Stringfellow and Pine Island
Road, at the request of island residents, due to traffic congestion in this area. “That analysis looked at all alternatives — signal, continuing the four-way stop, a roundabout and some quadrant roads, which is a whole other animal,” he said. “What it told us is a roundabout or a traffic signal would basically function the same and the signal was much cheaper than the roundabout. So one of the things we See COUNTY OFFICIALS, page 19
Better Together serving Pine Island By PAULETTE LeBLANC
pleblanc@breezenewspapers.com
Better Together CEO Megan Rose is adamant about the non-profit organization’s mission statement, which is to provide preventative services that empower the whole family through work, caring and loving relationships. After Hurricane Ian, Rose said Better Together spent a great deal of time on Pine Island in an effort to meet the needs of children and families. “We’ve got some areas on Pine Island that the Department of Children and Families let us know needed help within their communities. They asked if we could focus some time and energy building relationships with those families and meeting the needs that they have. We knocked on doors and started building some relationships and getting them some of the essential things that they needed,” Rose said. Families they helped received items such as, play-pens, mattresses, diapers, baby wipes, food and bug spray, she said, adding that they tried to focus on the children. Assuring parents had what they needed to care for and keep their children safe, such as proper car seats, was of major importance.
Samaritan Health and Wellness’ Hook serving Pine Island at the Beacon By PAULETTE LeBLANC
pleblanc@breezenewspapers.com
According to Dr. Susan Hook, Samaritan Health and Wellness in Cape Coral is coming up on its ninth year in practice. She started out 40 years ago as a certified nursing assistant and has been a nurse practioner for 21 years. Hook worked for Lee Physician group until October 2014, and then began the new chapter of Samaritan Health and Wellness that November, she said. “We started out with 40 patients and 2 employees — me and an office manager, and now we’re seeing about 150 patients a week and we have 12 employees,” Hook said of her Cape office. The center in Cape Coral has flourished over the last decade, as it now offers three mental health coun-
See BETTER TOGETHER, page 23
selors as well as four nurse practioners. Hook wanted to bring that same spirit of medical support and generosity to the people of Pine Island and so began work in her satellite office, housed by the Beacon of Hope, in St. James City in April 2023. Currently her hours at the Beacon are every other Wednesday from 8 a.m. to 12 p.m., although she said she would like to extend the hours to include the whole day. The fee is approximately $50 per visit, with financial assistance availSee HOOK, page 23 Dr. Susan Hook of Samaritan Health and Wellness in Cape Coral at the Beacon of Hope. PAULETTE LEBLANC
PHOTO PROVIDED
A representative of Better Together, right, chats with a resident on the recent visit to the island.
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