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RENT, MORTGAGE AND UTILITY ASSISTANCE PROGRAM HELPS COLLIER RESIDENTS AFFECTED BY COVID-19
Ongoing since March this year, the Collier Community Assistance Program (CCAP) assists residents with paying past-due rent, mortgage and utility bills as well as future rent payments. Program funds remain available to help with past due payments. These payments must have accumulated as a result of COVID-19 and must be documented. Aid is available for past-due bills going back to March 13, 2020, but may not exceed 12 months of arrearage for rent. Rental assistance, including arrearage, may not exceed 15 months. A landlord may apply on behalf of a tenant. Landlords can apply for reimbursement of each eligible renter’s unpaid rent between March 13, 2020, and March 31, 2021, or the most recent unpaid month. CCAP is also screening applicants’ eligibility through the Emergency Home Energy Assistance Program (EHEAP) to assist households with a delinquent electric bill and an adult 60 years or older who resides in the home. Up to $5,000 in assistance for air conditioning repairs or replacement may be provided to households with an elderly member or to a qualified elderly homeowner. Residents may dial 311 within the county or email CCAPinfo@colliercountyfl.gov to receive general program information or assistance.
NAPLES PRIDE CENTER OPENS WALK-IN HEALTH CLINIC
Naples Pride has added a walk-in clinic every Tuesday and Thursday from noon to 4 p.m. at the center, 2248 Airport-Pulling Road S., East Naples. Appointments are on a walk-in basis only. Services include STI prevention, testing and treatment, Hepatitis B and C treatment and testing, as well as HIV testing and treatment, including nPEP and PrEP. Services and treatments are confidential and free regardless of insurance coverage, but guests should bring identification and any insurance to the center at the time of the visit. The walk-in clinic provides a safe and private space for the LGBTQ community in the Naples area to get testing and treatment. It is staffed by health providers with the Independent Medical Group (IMG), which provides healthcare services to those in underserved communities.
FPRA SOUTHWEST FLORIDA CHAPTER TO HOST SEPT. 14 SEMINAR
The Southwest Florida Chapter of the Florida Public Relations Association (FPRA) will host its monthly luncheon from noon to 1:30 p.m. on Sept. 14, at Dave & Buster’s at Bell Tower Shops in Fort Myers. The September luncheon will feature FPRA President Devon Chestnut and a panel of chapter members who attended the 82nd FPRA state conference in August. The featured panelists include Alexandra Argueta, Pushing the Envelope; Kelly Apfel, Midwest Food Bank; Jennifer Benton of TeleSpecialists; Ashley Loubier, M&M Multimedia; and Juliana Metzner, Vectra Digital. The luncheon will also serve as the swearing-in ceremony for the 2021-2022 Board and leadership team. The cost to register for this event is $30 for members, $40 for guests and $25 for students. Register online.
GOODWILL & URBAN STRATEGIES SET SEPT. 30 JOB FAIR
Goodwill Industries of Southwest Florida (SWFL) and Urban Strategies Inc. will conduct a job fair from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Sept. 30 at the Dr. Carrie Robinson Event Center, 2990 Edison Ave., Fort Myers. Participants are asked to dress professionally and bring resumes. Those needing help with resume writing or interviewing skills can contact a Goodwill SWFL Community Resource Center (CRC) before the event for assistance. Goodwill’s CRCs offer employment services and free computer skills training. A list of locations is online or call 239-693-9508, ext. 210, to make an appointment. The event is sponsored by the Lee County Homeless Coalition. Goodwill Southwest Florida is a non-profit organization that utilizes the selling of donated goods to employ more than 800 individuals in Southwest Florida.
EXHIBITOR REGISTRATION NOW OPEN FOR ANNUAL VOLUNTEER EXPO
Registration is now open for exhibitors at the seventh annual “Get Involved Collier! Volunteer Expo,” The Leadership Collier Foundation (LCF) of the Greater Naples Chamber announces. The 2021 event will be held at Coastland Center shopping mall from 3-6 p.m. on Nov. 10. Held in partnership with United Way of Collier and the Keys, the Community Foundation of Collier County and Greater Naples Leadership, the volunteer expo is an opportunity for nonprofit, governmental and civic organizations to educate Southwest Floridians on opportunities to get involved and volunteer in their community. Registration is $75, and exhibitors can sign up online. Space is limited, and the deadline to register is Sept. 30. For more information or to become a sponsor, email Amanda Beights at amanda@napleschamber.org.
COLLIER COUNTY MEDICAL SOCIETY LEADERS ASSUME STATE, NATIONAL ROLES
Leaders of Collier County Medical Society (CCMS), the local professional association for physicians, were recently elected to positions with state and national medical associations. During the Florida Medical Association (FMA) Annual Meeting this August, CCMS Immediate Past President Dr. Rebekah Bernard was elected via online voting to the FMA Board of Governors as District E representative. Also during the FMA’s online voting, CCMS Past President Dr. Corey Howard was re-elected to the FMA’s delegation to the American Medical Association, which he has chaired since 2011. Additionally, CCMS Executive Director April Donahue was elected to the Board of Directors for the American Association of Medical Society Executives at its virtual annual meeting in July. Donahue has served as the CCMS Executive Director since 2013, is a graduate of Leadership Collier and Leadership Florida and is a past president of the Conference of Florida Medical Society Executives. CCMS Past President Dr. Catherine Kowal continues to serve on the FMA Board of Governors and CCMS Past President Dr. Rafael Haciski continues to serve on the FMA delegation to the American Medical Association.
Michael Nachef
LEE HEALTH’S NACHEF NAMED VP OF GOVERNMENT RELATIONS
Lee Health’s Michael Nachef has been tapped to serve the health system in a new role as vice president of government relations. Before being appointed to his new position, Nachef served as Lee Health’s system director of government relations. As an in-house registered lobbyist, Nachef works closely with elected officials and their staff at the local, state and federal levels. Before joining Lee Health in 2016, Nachef spent more than six years working for the state of Florida. He served as a legislative assistant with the Florida Senate. Nachef earned a Bachelor of Arts in political science from Florida Gulf Coast University. He is a graduate of College Leadership Florida and a member of the Leadership Florida organization. In 2019, Nachef was appointed by the governor to serve on the Florida Greenways and Trails Council.
Jeff McDowell
ST. MATTHEW’S HOUSE NAMES JUSTIN’S PLACE SENIOR DIRECTOR
St. Matthew’s House Board Chairman Joe Trachtenberg has appointed Jeff McDowell as senior director of the organization’s Justin’s Place addiction recovery program. McDowell holds a Master of Arts in theological studies from Columbia International University. He is also a Certified Addiction Professional through the Florida Certification Board and a National Certified Addiction Counselor, Level II through the Association of Addiction Professionals. After identifying substance abuse as one of the leading causes of poverty and homelessness, the Justin’s Place recovery program was established in 2010 to provide affordable recovery solutions, St. Matthew’s House states. The 12-month residential rehabilitative program is designed to equip individuals battling addiction with tools and resources to stay sober and live a productive, self-sufficient life.
Lee Golden
GOLDEN JOINS SANIBEL CAPTIVA COMMUNITY BANK COMMERCIAL LENDING TEAM
Sanibel Captiva Community Bank Senior Vice President and Director of Business Development Lee Golden has joined the bank’s commercial lending team. Golden has 26 years of experience in community and regional banking and joined Sanibel Captiva Community Bank in 2015. In 2019, he was named director of business development, and he is responsible for the cultivation and retention of consumer and commercial clients and leading community relations. He will continue to manage the bank’s business development efforts. His added responsibilities include originating commercial loans and developing new commercial relationships. A Fort Myers native, Golden graduated from University of Central Florida and the Consumer Bankers Association’s Graduate School of Retail Banking. He has served in leadership roles on numerous boards, including the Greater Fort Myers Chamber of Commerce, Edison Ford Winter Estates and Family Health Centers of Southwest Florida.
Courtesy Energy Harness Corp.
ENERGY HARNESS CO. DEVELOPS TECHNOLOGY TO COMBAT COVID-19
Cape Coral-based Energy Harness Corp. has launched its Active Airflow UV-C technology to kill the virus that causes COVID-19 and variants in one second of exposure, the company states. Energy Harness’ Active Airflow UV-C Fixture circulates indoor air and applying a large dose of high-energy UV-C light as the air passes through the device. The UV-C light sanitizes the air, releasing clean air back into the room, the company states. Testing involved exposing SARS-CoV-2 (the virus that causes COVID-19) to the UV-C LED modules contained in the Active Airflow Fixture for one, three and six-second intervals. Researchers found that 99.998% of the virus nuclei had been inactivated in each case — the maximum sensitivity that the testing mechanism can measure. Energy Harness Active Airflow units can be found in schools, hospitals, outpatient centers, libraries and offices across the nation.
CHARITABLE NOTES
SWFL Children’s Charities presents more than $1.2 million to eye institute
SWFL Children’s Charities Inc. presented a check of more than $1.2 million representing the second pledge payment to help build the new SWFL Children’s Charities Eye Institute of Golisano Children’s Hospital. Donors, trustees and supporters of SWFL Children’s Charities Inc. recently celebrated with a ribbon-cutting at the Fort Myers facility, which opened Aug. 2, creating the largest pediatric ophthalmology space between Tampa and Miami. The newly renovated space is designed to help improve pediatric visual disorders. With this month’s donation, the total to Golisano Children’s Hospital to date is more than $21 million to fund programs for mental health, neo-natal care, incubators and ophthalmology, to name a few. SWFL Children’s Charities Inc.’s annual signature fundraiser is the Southwest Florida Wine & Food Fest.
The Vascular Center of Naples to offer free peripheral artery disease screening
The Vascular Center of Naples will offer free screening in September for peripheral artery disease for Peripheral Artery Disease Awareness Month. “It affects over 6.5 million Americans over the age of 40,” says Naples vascular surgeon Dr. Russell Becker. “To help people recognize this serious condition and get treatment, the Vascular Center of Naples is offering free screenings.” Screenings will be conducted Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., depending on availability. For more information and to schedule a free screening for peripheral artery disease, visit the website or call 239-431-5884.
Naples Senior Center earns grant from Moorings Park Foundation
Naples Senior Center has been awarded a $75,000 grant from the Moorings Park Foundation. The funds will be used for Phase Two of the Caregivers Empowerment Program, a multi-faceted support program for family caregivers of loved ones with Alzheimer’s disease and related dementia (ADRD). The Caregivers Empowerment Program will provide ongoing programming to caregivers. The latest phase of funding also will provide for new programming opportunities which were not available last year due to COVID-19. These include in-person socialization opportunities for caregivers, in-person Dementia Choir for caregivers and individuals with ADRD, pop-up music concerts outside the home of clients and their caregivers and a travelogue program allowing families to reminisce about the places they have visited.
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