Like here in Pensacola, Georgia families face a mounting childcare crisis, and despite comprehensive recommendations a state study committee, meaningful action from state lawmakers remains absent. This disconnect has sparked a grassroots…
Category: Health
Oops, Hope Florida Foundation to amend tax return
The Orlando Sentinel reports that Hope Florida Foundation will amend its tax return to show the Governor’s Cup golf tournament made money. In April, after the Foundation released its Form 990, which covered…
Daily Outtakes: Andrade won’t back down on budget
State Rep. Alex Andrade isn’t backing off his position on Gov. Ron DeSantis’ Hope Florida budget demands. As chair of the House Health Care Budget Subcommittee, Andrade is wielding budget authority like…
Breaking: Commissioner May secures healthcare on old Baptist campus
During today’s Committee of the Whole, Escambia County Commissioner Lumon May revealed he had negotiated a deal to bring immediate healthcare services to the West Moreno District, the former home of Baptist…
Andrade offers little hope for Hope Florida navigators
Rep. Alex Andrade (R-Pensacola), who heads House healthcare budget negotiations, is proposing to cut $2.5 million from the Hope Florida program—eliminating 20 Hope navigator positions and six additional positions in Veterans’ Affairs….
Escambia BCC considers adding EMS staff to meet demand
The Escambia County Board of Commissioners (BCC) will consider a significant expansion of Emergency Medical Services at its June 5 meeting, adding 11 new full-time positions to address increasing call volumes and…
Landrum 5K raises over $17K for Mental Health Services at Lakeview Center
The second annual Landrum 5K Run/Walk has made a significant impact on mental health services in Northwest Florida, with organizers presenting a generous $17,297.14 donation to Lakeview Center from the proceeds of…
Don’t Color on the Dog: Jackass Edition
The controversial $10 million Medicaid settlement check that flowed through the Hope Florida Foundation to the political action committee Keep Florida Clean has emerged as a case study in governmental dysfunction, raising…
The state should have audited the $10 million Hope Florida deal. It didn’t happen.
By Michelle DeMarco, Florida Center for Government Accountability No one was watching the store when $10 million in state Medicaid settlement money was diverted to the Casey DeSantis-led charity Hope Florida. A…
Emergency Care Partners Secures $100 million growth investment
Pensacola’s Emergency Care Partners (ECP), one of the nation’s leading emergency medicine service providers, has successfully closed a significant growth recapitalization transaction that positions the company for accelerated expansion across the healthcare…
Daily Outtakes: Is Casey DeSantis a Patsy?
Casey DeSantis launched Hope Florida in 2021 as a genuine welfare program to help connect needy Floridians to community-based nonprofits and faith institutions, weaning them off government assistance. Its funds, both gifts…
UWF’s Usha Kundu College of Health Celebrates 10 Years
The Usha Kundu, MD College of Health at the University of West Florida marked its 10-year anniversary with an inaugural Community and Alumni Awards ceremony on May 20 at the Pensacola Museum…
Bombshell: Board Chair Resigns Over Hope Florida Controversy
While Gov. Ron DeSantis and First Lady Casey DeSantis were defending Hope Florida, the chairman of Save Our Society from Drugs (SOS), the nonprofit focused on preventing substance abuse that received $5…
Florida has 16 nursing programs on probation, not UWF
The Florida Legislature has passed a bill to improve the state’s poor performance on the National Council Licensure Examination (NCLEX) by implementing harsher penalties for underperforming nursing schools. Details: The measure, which…
Pensacola Celebrates National Bike Month
The City of Pensacola is observing May as National Bike Month, creating an opportunity for residents and visitors to celebrate cycling’s numerous benefits. Why this matters: Pensacola recently earned recognition as a…
‘Irreplaceable’ Doc retires
By Tom St. Myer Irreplaceable. That is the simple but accurate word Community Health Northwest Florida CEO Chandra Smiley uses to describe Dr. George Smith. Yet that is the challenge Smiley will…
Daily Outtakes: VA Mental Health Crisis in Pensacola, too
The New York Times reports that President Trump’s decision to end remote work for federal employees has forced VA (Veterans Affairs) mental health clinicians into crowded, public spaces that compromise patient privacy,…
Water Fluoride Ban Heading to DeSantis
Last December, we predicted that fluoride would become an issue in 2025. Robert F. Kennedy Jr., Trump’s nominee for secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services, cited controversial studies that…
Hope Florida Scandal: Nonprofit Director Claims Coercion
DeSantis-Hope Florida melodrama took another unexpected turn yesterday when Ann Ronhausen, Executive Director of Save Our Society for Drugs (SOS ), sent a letter to Florida House Speaker Danny Perez addressing allegations…
Breaking: Andrade ends Hope Florida probe
The Tampa Bay Times has reported that the Florida House investigation into the Hope Florida Foundation is concluding without testimony from key figures. As we have reported, Representative Alex Andrade, the Pensacola…
