Lines leading from the new Gulf Coast Medical Center in south Fort Myers looked more like the line for a ride at Disney World than for a hospital tour.
But, crowds came to take in all the new facility, walking around the 436,000 square feet of new construction in groups of 20.
Rose Digiorgio, 69, said she came to see it for peace of mind.
“Nobody wants to go to the hospital, but it’s great to know it’s here if you need it,” she said. “Plus Read the rest of this entry »

ScienceDaily (Nov. 17, 2008)
— At least one in four of the 697,000 U.S. veterans of the 1991 Gulf War suffer from Gulf War illness, a condition caused by exposure to toxic chemicals, including pesticides and a drug administered to protect troops against nerve gas, and no effective treatments have yet been found, a federal panel of scientific experts and veterans concludes in a landmark report released Monday.
The Congressionally-mandated Read the rest of this entry »

WASHINGTON (AP) — Even as possibly hundreds of thousands of veterans suffer from a collection of symptoms commonly called Gulf War illness, the government has done too little to find treatments for their health problems nearly two decades after the war ended, a panel commissioned by Congress said.
The advisory panel of medical experts and veterans wants at least $60 million spent annually for research, calling it a “national obligation,” Read the rest of this entry »

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If the Read the rest of this entry »

What will the government do to make veterans with Gulf War syndrome whole?
The question has new urgency in the aftermath of a report, released Monday, concluding that nearly 200,000 soldiers suffer from the syndrome.
The 452-page report is the first to affirm that Gulf War illness is valid and widespread, affecting as many as one-quarter of veterans from the 1990-1991 conflict.
“The extensive body of scientific research now available consistently Read the rest of this entry »

To Rose Digiorgio, 69, having a good hospital near home equals peace of mind.
“Nobody wants to go to the hospital, but it’s great to know it’s here if you need it,” she said. “Plus the building is beautiful.”
Digiorgio was among thousands that came out Saturday to tour the new Gulf Coast Medical Center in Fort Myers at the corner of Metro and Daniels Parkway.
The $285-million renovated building is the result of a merger between Southwest Florida Read the rest of this entry »

PANAMA CITY – An EC-135 helicopter slowly circled by Gulf Coast Medical Center and over Jenks Avenue Tuesday afternoon, before descending just east of the Panama City hospital and landing on a fenced off, 30-by-30-foot concrete section.
It’s a sight that will become more common for motorists and visitors, as the hospital uses a new tool in its efforts to provide swift emergency medical services and cut down on response time in rural areas.
Gulf Read the rest of this entry »

The American Legion is encouraged that the report also addresses the relationship between research and VA disability benefits. VA’s ability to compensate veterans for disabilities related to their Gulf War service is directly related to research and other scientific findings. In 1998, Congress passed legislation that directed VA to contract with the Institute of Medicine (IOM) of the National Academy of Sciences (NAS) to review available research Read the rest of this entry »

The opening of the new Gulf Coast Medical Center is just six months away, projected for February, 2008. Walls are up, floors are going down and landscaping is being installed.
When complete, the new hospital, which wraps around the current Gulf Coast Hospital at the corner of Daniels and Metro Parkways, will be more than 550,000 square feet; four times larger than the existing facility. The four-story hospital will consist of 349 beds, a 43-bed Read the rest of this entry »