Lee Health: Masks still needed at its hospitals
Lee Health officials are reminding those who enter their facilities, vaccinated or not, need to be masked.
Dr. Stephanie Stovall, Lee Health’s interim chief of Quality and Patient Safety, responded on Thursday to the increasing number of visitors coming to their facilities without a mask.
“Since the start of the pandemic, Lee Health has followed guidance from the CDC on masking and will continue to do so. The recent updated guidelines on masking for fully-vaccinated people do not apply to healthcare settings,” she said. “We continue to require staff, patients and visitors to wear a mask inside all Lee Health facilities to protect our vulnerable population and those who either cannot receive the vaccine or may not have a full response to the vaccine due to their condition.”
Stovall continued by encouraging individuals who have not been vaccinated to do so as soon as possible.
Lee Health announced at the beginning of the week it would be accepting walk-in appointments at its vaccine clinic, located at Gulf Coast Medical Center. The vaccine clinic, open 7 a.m. to 3:30 p.m., was available for walk-ins until the afternoon of Friday, May 21, for anyone 12 years-old and older.
COVID-19 vaccine appointments can still be made online at www.leehealth.org.
Vaccination hub to move mid-June
The Florida Department of Health-Lee County announced last Wednesday they will be relocate their COVID-19 vaccination center from the Edison Mall to their offices at 83 Pondella Road in North Fort Myers.
The switch will begin Monday, June 21, and those with existing appointments at the Edison Mall location are not affected by this change. Vaccinations will be administered at the Edison Mall location through Friday, June 18.
Starting May 27, those who receive their first dose at the Edison Mall location will be scheduled to get their second at the DOH-Lee campus in North Fort Myers.
FDOH-Lee officials said the site at 83 Pondella Road will vaccinate eligible individuals by appointment only. Appointments can be scheduled by calling (239) 461-6100 and selecting option 4. People with appointments are asked to arrive 10 minutes early and to print and complete the COVID-19 Vaccine Screening and Consent Form to expedite their visit.
For any other questions related to COVID-19 in Florida, contact the Department’s dedicated COVID-19 Call Center by calling 1-866-779-6121. The Call Center is available 24 hours per day. Inquiries may also be emailed to COVID-19@flhealth.gov.
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