Donation helps premature babies

Story ran in the weekly and again in the Metro section.

Mothers and fathers of premature babies in south Fort Myers are going to be better served at The Children's Hospital of Southwest Florida.

The hospital, which is located on Bass Road at HealthPark, recently received funds to build an additional six beds in its Neonatal Intensive Care Unit.

The donation came from Shelley and Jack Blais , who are longtime donors of the hospital. They secured nearly $3.6 million through the annual Boston Red Sox Celebrity Classic and Diamond Dinner events in years 2006, 2007 and 2008.

“Six more beds means we will have room for six more babies in the intensive care unit,” said Michelle Vadel, the director of the unit. “If a baby is born and we don’t have room, they have to be sent to another hospital and city.”

That is difficult, Vadel said, because many times the babies are sent off and moms are still in the hospital and dad is taking care of the other siblings or driving up to see the baby.

“This ensures that they’ll be able to stay here and they don’t have to figure out how to balance everything,” Vadel said about the beds that have been in the works for years.

The Blaises made the new beds possible by committing to match every dollar raised by the Boston Red Sox. The new area of the hospital was recently named after the Blaises in a dedication ceremony.

“They target their money toward centers that strive for excellence and are forward thinking and researching ways to do things better,” Vadel said.

And forward thinking is exactly what was needed in the planning stages of the area that will house the new beds.

“Each bed is designed with the developmental process of each individual child in mind,” said Karen Krieger, the hospital’s spokeswoman.

The developmental aspects of a babies brain begin after birth and the new beds take sound, light and environment into account.

“We know that light and sound and the way we position the baby very much affect the development of the brain, vision and sight,” said Vadel adding that the new room has special acoustic ceiling tiles, floors and glass. “Everything is geared toward protecting that very fragile brain.”

Students, faculty rave about new Heights Elementary

Heights Elementary in Harlem Heights recently moved into their new building. The entrance to the school is being completed as part of the project.

Students at Heights Elementary think their new school building can be compared to a five-star hotel. And the school’s staff and faculty agree.

The elementary, which is located in Harlem Heights in south Fort Myers, was recently torn down and rebuilt to accommodate the area’s growth and needs.

“The old building had a lot of issues and we wanted to get a bigger facility there,” said Reggie Snell, the director of construction who oversaw the project.

Snell had to justify the new building to the state who inspected the old building and approved the construction of the new one.

“The school that is there now will hold up to 1,300 kids,” said Snell, noting that it was built large to avoid having to build another elementary school in the south zone. “It will help the community down there. “

Diane Salko, the school’s principal, is elated with the new two-story building because it’s not only larger but everything inside is new.

“They think they are in a five star hotel because it’s so beautiful,” said Salko noting that only supplies were moved in to the new building. “We have additional space for computers and enrichment areas.”

The Lee County school district decided to build a new school in front of the old one because it was built in 1964. A time when the open air concept was in style.

Construction of the new building began in July of 2007 and the 190,000 square foot building was completed earlier this month.

“We were able to be more involved with the interior design because they were building it on our campus,” said Salko adding that the construction didn’t interfere with the student’s learning. “Everything is bigger and shinier.”

New interactive projectors were installed in every classroom, the cafetorium and kitchen area were expanded and the art and music room’s have more space than ever.

“Everybody loves the facility and the kids treat it with respect and kindness,” Salko said about the school that houses grades pre-K through fifth.

“It was time for an update and we were extremely excited to move in,” she said.

The final cost of the school won’t be determined until construction is completed but the district set aside $30 million for the project.