Stroke Care is Available Where Our Community Needs It Most

by Blake Gable, NCH Board of Trustees

Join us to ensure advanced heart and stroke care is available where our community needs it most.

I’m Blake Gable and I am on the NCH Board of Trustees. I write with unwavering support for the new NCH proposed cardiac and stroke facility. This is a project that holds the key to a healthier, more resilient Naples. Quite literally, the access to timely advanced healthcare in an emergency rest in the hands of the few, which will have lasting effects on us all for years to come.

Facts about this project:

• Nearly 70% of our patients requiring emergent heart and stroke care live within ten miles of NCH Baker Hospital downtown.
• 30 – 40% of cardiothoracic surgical cases and other cases are still being referred out of the region and state. Our vision is to ensure our community can stay close to home for their care.
• NCH is a nonprofit community pillar that’s locally governed, independent and does not rely on local tax dollars for support. This project will NOT affect city resident taxes.
• Vegetation around the proposed parking garage has been enhanced to conceal the garage completely by increasing the setback from the street to allow for existing trees to remain, while adding plenty of room for additional plantings around the structure to preserve the wooded look of our neighborhood.
• The proposed five-story facility will be three feet shorter than the existing Baker Hospital.

The proposed cardiac and stroke center is not a luxury but a necessity, a lifeline for countless individuals coping with cardiac issues. The stakes are high, and the consequences of withholding approval could be dire. We are on the brink of having a world-class facility that could save lives, yet it seems there may be forces at play threatening to deny us this essential resource.

All the services that an emergent heart and stroke patient needs will be centralized in one state-of-the-art building to maximize quality outcomes and the patient experience. After a heart attack or stroke, many patients require critical care or other in patientcare, as well as follow-up outpatient care. All these services will be housed together so that continuity of care is ensured, and patients and their families remain in the same comforting environment.

Our community deserves access to cutting-edge healthcare. It is disheartening to fathom a scenario where the promise of advanced cardiac care is snatched away due to bureaucratic hesitations. This is not merely about planning and development; it’s about safeguarding the well-being of our neighbors, friends, and family. The decisions our elected officials make in the coming days will resonate for years to come, shaping the future of Naples.

Stand on the side of care, compassion, and quality healthcare and call or write to the City of Naples Council members. Let your elected officials hear your voice as you urge them to vote “Yes” to move forward with the proposed NCH Heart, Vascular and Stroke facility in downtown Naples. Yes, is Critical.