MacKoul Pediatrics Fort Myers

02/19/2026

02/18/2026

Feeling overwhelmed? Take a deep breath. 988 is here for you whenever you need someone talk to.

Call, text, or chat 988.

02/18/2026

Beginning April 20, 2026, changes will take effect that impact which items can be purchased using SNAP benefits. These updates are part of Florida’s Healthy Food Choice initiative, approved by the USDA, to encourage healthier food options for families across our communities.

✅ Still Eligible for Purchase:
• Fruits and vegetables
• Meat, poultry, and seafood
• Breads and pastas
• Cereals and granola bars
• Coffee and tea
• Bakery items
• Baking ingredients
• Chips

❌ No Longer Eligible:
• Soda (regular, diet, or artificially sweetened)
• Energy drinks (65 mg+ caffeine per 8 oz or marketed for energy/alertness)
• Candy
• Ultra-processed prepared desserts

Families are encouraged to review these updates ahead of the change to better plan their grocery purchases.

For more information, scan the QR code in the image or visit your local Florida Department of Children and Families office.

02/17/2026

02/16/2026

It started like so many childhood illnesses: a mild fever, a few spots, nothing that seemed alarming. For Gail, a mother in the UK, measles seemed like a disease her daughter would overcome with little more than a few days of rest.
But what no one could foresee was how profoundly it would change her daughter’s life and ultimately, end it nearly three decades later. Slowly, insidiously, the virus began to exact its toll. Over the years, her daughter lost her ability to walk, to speak, and eventually, even to eat without assistance.
“This was supposed to be a mild illness,” Gail says, her voice breaking as she recalls the decades-long struggle. “We didn’t know that something so ordinary could quietly steal a lifetime.”
Her daughter’s decline was gradual, almost imperceptible at first. A stumble here, a word forgotten there. Yet as the years passed, it became clear that measles had left permanent damage that modern medicine could not reverse. By the time she passed, 27 years after that first ‘mild’ infection, the toll of those early days was undeniable.
Gail’s heartbreak is compounded by frustration and fear. Once considered a relic of the past, measles is returning with a vengeance. Vaccination rates have dropped in some regions, misinformation spreads rapidly, and children who should be protected are now vulnerable. “I don’t want any other parent to go through what I went through,” Gail says. “This isn’t just a historic disease, it's alive, and it’s hurting children right now.”
Health experts echo her warnings. Measles is highly contagious and can have severe, sometimes lifelong complications. Even in its milder form, the virus can trigger hidden immune system damage and long-term neurological issues. When children go unvaccinated, the ripple effect is devastating, putting entire communities at risk.
Gail has become an unlikely advocate. Through social media, community talks, and interviews, she shares her daughter’s story not to frighten, but to educate. She urges parents to vaccinate, to ask questions, and to prioritize prevention. “If one story can save a child’s life, it’s worth telling,” she says.
Her plea is both urgent and deeply personal: measles is no longer a distant memory of the past. It is a present danger, capable of changing lives forever, quietly undermining futures in ways most never anticipate. Gail’s message is clear: protect your children now, before it’s too late.
Her daughter’s memory lives on not just in photographs, but in the advocacy born from heartbreak, a warning that what begins as a ‘mild’ childhood illness can, in rare and devastating cases, haunt a lifetime.

02/16/2026

02/16/2026

02/15/2026

02/13/2026

The Trump administration EPA failed to meet a Feb. 7 deadline to designate areas in violation of the strengthened 2024 national air quality standard for soot, as required under the Clean Air Act.

On Feb. 10, APHA and a group of health, community and environmental groups notified the EPA of their intent to file a lawsuit unless the EPA issues the overdue air quality designations. https://vist.ly/4r8n2