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JOIN US

To Ensure Advanced Heart and Stroke Care is Available Where Our Community Needs It Most.
by Blake Gable, NCH Board of Trustees

oin us to ensure advanced heart and The proposed cardiac and stroke center is not a luxury but a
stroke care is available where our necessity, a lifeline for countless individuals coping with cardiac
Jcommunity needs it most. issues. The stakes are high, and the consequences of withholding
I’m Blake Gable and I am on the approval could be dire. We are on the brink of having a world-class
NCH Board of Trustees. I write with facility that could save lives, yet it seems there may be forces at play
unwavering support for the new NCH threatening to deny us this essential resource.
proposed cardiac and stroke facility. This is All the services that an emergent heart and stroke patient needs
a project that holds the key to a healthier, will be centralized in one state-of-the-art building to maximize
more resilient Naples. Quite literally, the access to timely advanced quality outcomes and the patient experience. After a heart attack
healthcare in an emergency rests in the hands of the few, which will or stroke, many patients require critical care or other inpatient
have lasting effects on us all for years to come. care, as well as follow-up outpatient care. All these services will be
Facts about this project: housed together so that continuity of care is ensured, and patients
• Nearly 70% of our patients requiring emergent heart and stroke and their families remain in the same comforting environment.
care live within ten miles of NCH Baker Hospital downtown. Our community deserves access to cutting-edge healthcare. It is
• 30 - 40% of cardiothoracic surgical cases and other cases are disheartening to fathom a scenario where the promise of advanced
still being referred out of the region and state. Our vision is to cardiac care is snatched away due to bureaucratic hesitations. This is
ensure our community can stay close to home for their care. not merely about planning and development; it’s about safeguarding
• NCH is a nonprofit community pillar that’s locally governed, the well-being of our neighbors, friends, and family. The decisions
independent and does not rely on local tax dollars for support. This our elected officials make in the coming days will resonate for years
project will NOT affect city resident taxes. to come, shaping the future of Naples.
• Vegetation around the proposed parking garage has been Stand on the side of care, compassion, and quality healthcare
enhanced to conceal the garage completely by increasing the and call or write to the City of Naples Council members. Let your
setback from the street to allow for existing trees to remain, while elected officials hear your voice as you urge them to vote “Yes” to
adding plenty of room for additional plantings around the structure move forward with the proposed NCH Heart, Vascular and Stroke
to preserve the wooded look of our neighborhood. facility in downtown Naples. Yes is Critical.
• The proposed five-story facility will be three feet shorter than
the existing Baker Hospital.

Life in Naples | January 2024 63