Veterans push for full-service VA hospital in Cape Coral

CAPE CORAL, Fla. (WINK) — A group of Southwest Florida veterans and advocates are pushing to expand the existing VA healthcare center in Cape Coral into a full-service hospital, saying too many local veterans still have to travel hours for care they cannot get close to home.

The proposal is outlined in the Southwest Florida Veterans’ Healthcare Unofficial Market Assessment Report, prepared by Dr. Alan White, chair of the Cape Coral VA Clinic Expansion to a Full-Service Hospital Committee. The report was created for discussion with the VA, congressional delegations, local governments, veterans and veterans organizations. 

The existing Lee County VA Healthcare Center on Diplomat Parkway provides primary care, mental health services and several outpatient specialties, including cardiology, dermatology, eye care and gastroenterology. But according to the report, the facility does not have inpatient beds, an emergency department, an intensive care unit or overnight observation. 

For some veterans, that means traveling to Bay Pines for care. Carlos Kelly, a local veteran and senior vice commander at his VFW post, said he had to make that trip when he needed treatment for his back and knee.

“I did have to travel to Bay Pines,” Kelly said. “We actually stayed over the night, being that it was such a long drive, and I couldn’t my back couldn’t handle it. It was two hours there and two hours back.”

Kelly said the travel burden can be especially difficult for veterans whose medical conditions make long drives uncomfortable. Retired Army Col. Steve Epkins also supports the proposal. He said veterans can sometimes face added costs when care requires them to travel far from home.

“Are you going to drive back to your home?” Epkins said. “Are you going to stay there and spend the night in a motel or a hotel? And so, you know, that becomes very costly.”

The committee’s report recommends eventually turning the Cape Coral facility into a full-service VA medical center with inpatient care, emergency services, surgery, inpatient mental health treatment and broader specialty care. The proposal targets a capacity of 100 to 200 beds. 

The report estimates between 93,871 and 114,075 veterans live across Lee, Collier, Charlotte, Hendry and Glades counties, depending on whether U.S. Census Bureau estimates or VA administrative figures are used. The report uses roughly 104,000 veterans as a midpoint planning estimate. 

It also lays out a phased approach that could take years. Kelly said that timeline makes it important to start planning now.

“Think about the amount of growth on veteran community in eight to 12 years from now, when it’s actually finished,” Kelly said.

The proposal remains in an early stage. The report says a formal VA site assessment would still be needed to determine whether the existing Diplomat Parkway property can support a hospital expansion. A project of this size would also have to move through the VA’s capital planning process and require federal authorization. 

The committee held a public information briefing Friday evening at The Collaboratory in Fort Myers, where White was expected to explain the proposal, the steps supporters believe are needed to move it forward and how veterans and community members can get involved.

For the veterans who spoke with WINK News, the goal now is to get more people talking about the proposal and build support across Southwest Florida as the group begins what could be a years-long process.