Lee Health Appoints Chief Information Officer

Need to catch up on business news in Southwest Florida? No problem. Here are the top stories of the week pulled from our daily newsletter, Gulfshore Business Daily. 

Friday, Sept. 6

LEE HEALTH APPOINTS CHIEF INFORMATION OFFICER

Lee Health has named Rick Schooler as its new chief information officer (CIO). Schooler will oversee operational management, planning, organizing and strategic direction of the information systems/information technology (IT) function for the health system. Schooler’s career spans 28 years in healthcare and nine years outside of healthcare. He joined Lee Health after serving as vice president and CIO at Orlando Health. Before joining Orlando Health, he was the vice president and CIO at Central Georgia Health System (Navicent Health). Schooler is a member of the American College of Healthcare Executives (FACHE), the College of Healthcare Information Management Executives (FCHIME) and the Healthcare Information Management and Systems Society (FHIMSS). He has received multiple awards throughout his career, including the John E. Gall Healthcare CIO of the Year. Schooler earned his Master of Business Administration from the University of Indianapolis and a bachelor’s degree in computer and information technology from Purdue University. He is also a Certified Healthcare CIO (CHCIO) and a board-certified executive coach.

Thursday, Sept. 5

REPORT: CAPE CORAL AMONG BEST CITIES TO RETIRE

Cape Coral ranked No. 8 in WalletHub’s 2019 Best Cities to Retire. Cape Coral had a total score of 56.50, with an Affordability Rank of 19, Activities Rank of 51, quality of Life Rank of 15, and Health Care Rank of 109. WalletHub compared more than 180 U.S. cities across 46 key measures of affordability, quality of life, health care and availability of recreational activities. The data set ranges from cost of living to retired taxpayer-friendliness to share of the population aged 65 and older. For the full report, visit https://wallethub.com/edu/best-places-to-retire/6165/.

Wednesday, Sept. 4

LEE HEALTH OFFERS FREE TELEHEALTH CARE FOR HURRICANE 

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Lee TeleHealth is offering free visits through Sept. 7 as a way to help the community and visitors get the non-emergency care they need for any reason due to Hurricane Dorian. Lee Telehealth provides on-demand access to board-certified physicians 24/7 even if patients unable to travel to their doctor’s office, they’re away from home or if their doctor is unavailable. During the virtual visit, patients have the ability to interact with the doctor via their device’s camera to receive a diagnosis and, if necessary, a referral or prescription. If you are seeking emergency care, please call 911. To download the app, visit the app store on your smartphone or tablet and search for “Lee TeleHealth.” To access a virtual visit from your computer, visit: https://leetelehealth.org and enter the coupon code “DORIAN” on the payment screen.

BAYFRONT HEALTH OFFERS HURRICANE RELIEF TELEHEALTH VISITS

Bayfront Health Port Charlotte and Punta Gorda are offering free telehealth visits on Virtual Health Connect to help area residents impacted by the storm get non-emergency medical care. The free telehealth visits are available through 11:59 p.m. on Sept. 14 on any mobile device, computer or tablet. Access your free virtual visit by downloading the VirtualHealthConnect app from the App Store or Google Play, or by visiting www.VirtualHealthConnect.com. At the time of the visit, enter coupon code DORIAN to have the visit free of charge. Virtual Health Connect provides on demand, live access to physicians and nurse practitioners at any time. In the event of a life-threatening medical emergency, call 911.

Tuesday, Sept. 3

BONITA CHAMBER ANNOUNCES SMALL BUSINESS OF THE YEAR

Bonita Springs Area Chamber of Commerce announced the 2019 Small Business of the Year and Bonita Springs Citizen of the Year Award winners at its recent award celebration luncheon. The 2019 Small Business of the Year Award was presented to Stickboy Creative, represented onstage by founder Reema Bhatia. Finalists for the 2019 Small Business of the Year Award were Arc of Life Family Spinal Care, Bonita Boarding Kennel and Pet Camp, Bonita Springs-Estero REALTORS, CGT Kayaks, Rosier Insurance and Tri-Town Construction. The Bonita Springs Citizen of the Year Award was presented to Harlan Parrish, Lee County President of FineMark National Bank & Trust. The 13th Honorary Pat Lord Award was presented to Danville Leadbetter of London Bay Homes. The Chamber Appreciation Award was presented to Bonita Springs-Estero REALTORS, represented by Meighan Harris. The Chairman’s Award went to Westley Weidenmiller of Presstige Printing. The program closed with an announcement of The Hub, a new community workspace located inside the Bonita Chamber. For more information, visit 

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