You're watching Southwest Florida in focus coming up to baby bald eagles adored by southwest Floridians are dead after contracting a strain of bird flu that has been devastating bird populations across the country.

Now, that same virus is quickly leading to a shortage in egg production by spreading through American poultry farms.

Our environmental reporter looks at the virus's impact on our community.

As the need for mental health care continues to rise, Collier County is seeing a surge in the number of seniors in crisis.

A look at how Southwest Floridians can access health saving lives.

It is the daily duty for emergency responders.

An upcoming documentary examines exactly how first responders, from bystanders to firefighters, save lives.

The day this plane crashed on I-75 one year ago.

Hello, I'm Sandra Victorova.

Thank you very much for joining us.

While a swath of red tide stretching for more than 200 miles has formed from Tampa Bay to Key West.

It has moved ashore along much of southwest Florida, leading to several red tide health alerts.

The concentration of the organism that causes red tide, cranio brevis, is weak in some places.

In others, the red tide bloom is so strong it has turned the blue green water burnt orange for dozens and dozens of miles.

The bloom started near Tampa after Hurricane Milton in October.

Now its epicenter is Lee and Shirley counties and Sanibel and Captiva Islands near the mouth of the Caloosahatchee River.

Joining me now to explain what is going on is Doctor Michael Parsons, a professor and the director of the Vester Field Station at the water school here at Fgcu.

Doctor Parsons, thank you so much for joining us.

We appreciate that.

Thank you for having me.

So let's start with this.

I think, you know, when you talk about a size of a bloom that large, it's concerning.

Is there anything, you know unique to this?

How concerned should we be?

Is it unique?

We should always be concerned when the blooms get this big.

It's happened in the past.

Most recently in 2021, but farther north off of Tampa and more extending up to Clearwater.

But of course, the real bad year was in 2018 and 2019.

So when it is that big, it can cause a lot of fish kills.

It gets in the news a lot.

And that can affect tourism and our economy.

So it is concerning when it's a big bloom.

So do we have a sense.

Can we predict how long these blooms are going to last or how severe they're going to get Historic.

Historically, when you look at these blooms, they usually start at the end of September or the beginning of October, and they usually finish at the end of January, early February.

So that's what we use as our yardstick to see how long it's going to be and when it's going to occur.

So it is unusual when it lasts longer than that.

Again, back in 2018 and 2019 when it actually extended through the summer, we don't really have a good way of predicting how long it will last, however.

So sometimes scientists have said that they're confident that this bloom is related to recent release of nutrient filled water from Lake Okeechobee.

Can you explain the thinking there?

So that is a difficult question because, number one, red tide is a natural phenomenon.

It starts fairly far off shore, 50 to 100 miles off shore.

And it gets its nutrients through natural processes through the ocean, killing fish, through other organisms in the ocean.

And so the bloom is pretty well formed before it gets close enough to shore, where we can have an influence.

So we do not start the bloom.

And it's not an easy question.

Do we influence the bloom?

Can we say that runoff and nutrients causes the bloom to get worse?

If it was that easy, we would have answered that decades ago.

So it is a hard question.

There have been some recent studies that suggest there is a relationship that actually the blooms are prolonged by these discharges.

But it's not as simple as x causes Y, so there's more to it than that.

What would you say is the biggest misconception about Red tide?

I think the biggest misconception of Red tide is that we cause it.

We do not cause it, but we may influence it.

And are we doing enough to control it?

I know I was thinking about a story.

Did gosh spend more than a year on Charlotte County's efforts to get rid of these septic tanks?

Because so many of them are leaking?

Are we doing enough to kind of help Mother Nature?

We're doing what we can.

I think at least, in terms of technology development and strategically thinking of reactions for this.

The problem is, when these blooms get so big, they're just too big to try to combat or try to reduce.

So we have to be really strategic in our approach.

So some of the strategies that are being tried out right now include.

And canals and bays near areas where there's large concentrations of people, public beaches and things like that.

So we're looking at more surgical ways of trying to control and mitigate red tide.

But we do not have the capacity or the technology to to handle the bloom when it's so big like it is now.

Doctor Parsons, thank you for your time.

We appreciate it.

Sure.

You're welcome.

And then I think.

This outbreak of bird flu seems to be really bad.

It's one of the worst we've seen, if not the worst.

Fans of the Fort Myers Eagle Cam are devastated after two recently hatched bald eagles died after contracting the recent strain of avian influenza.

The two birds, a 24 and 25, quickly developed a fan following but unexpectedly passed away on Back-To-Back days at the end of January.

Florida Fish and Wildlife confirmed that both eaglets tested positive for the virus.

Avian flu has been difficult for birds across the country, but the symptoms can be more severe in both waterfowl and birds of prey such as bald eagles.

Experts also warned that the virus can be transmissible to other species.

It's really tragic and heartbreaking to see what's happening.

But long term, the bird population should be able to recover and develop some immunity.

And you might want to consider keeping your cats indoors, because cats do prey on wild birds, because the cats can, catch avian flu from birds.

That's another, risk factor for people, potentially.

So far, fortunately, there hasn't been a case of that, but minimizing exposure seems like a good idea.

For a closer look at the impact of avian flu.

GQ senior environmental reporter Tom Bayliss joins us now.

Welcome, Tom.

Thanks for being here.

Absolutely.

Hi, Sandra.

So the headline to your most recent story grab my attention on avian flu.

It says bird flu existential threat to the World's biodiversity.

That sounds very scary.

So how concerned are scientists?

This is a big deal.

This bird flu is hopping species like none other.

And not just to other birds, but things like polar bears and.

And things that just would never be, considered something that an avian influenza would, in fact, the outbreak has been described as the fastest spreading and largest ever.

What does that mean?

Why do we think that's happening?

And what does it mean as far as, you know, crossing over into other species?

I'm not sure that scientists have completely figured out why it is so transmissible in other species.

But as far as wiping out entire, colonies of, birds that are, being grown for sale once the flu gets into one of these growing facilities where the birds are, it just circulates and circulates and they have to take out the entire population, get rid of them, and then go find enough new chicks to to re inhabit that after they clean it.

It's a very expensive, very time consuming thing.

And it's the reason why eggs are going up and up and up at the grocery store.

So the most immediate concern, of course, for most of us is thinking about the possibility of transmission to people.

What do we know about that at this point?

I think that you're safe to eat the eggs in the in the grocery store, obviously, that there's a lot of, the checks and balances that go in there.

There was one person who died, just last week, but he worked in a, farm for for, chickens.

And he was exposed to it every day.

What is alarming is dozens more have been made ill through various means, and they don't know all of them yet.

It is absolutely something we all need to pay attention to.

Don't be afraid to eat the eggs from the grocery store, but to expect to pay more for them.

This has, I assume, you know folks at the federal government who inspect these facilities working around the clock, right?

Because we're not just talking poultry.

The concern is about cattle, dairy, right?

There is you have so many disciplines of of scientists and, it goes way beyond just the inspectors at the USDA that are now involved because there are researchers and immunologists and, and all those types of related folks who are trying to figure out why is this bird flu so transmissible?

Why is it jumping species way, way unrelated to other birds?

And how do we stop it?

Tom Bayliss, we thank you for your reporting on this topic, and, we'll have you back again.

Keep us updated.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Sandra.

I think.

Coming up, we speak to a firefighter who was one of the first to respond to the plane that crashed on I-75 a year ago.

We hear his thoughts on exactly what first responders got right that day, and why it's important for an upcoming documentary to tell the story of all that happened to save lives.

In 2002, just over 27 million Americans receive mental health treatment or counseling.

By 2023, that number skyrocketed to over 59 million.

That, according to a national survey on drug use and health in southwest Florida, that trend has carried through to our senior population.

Joining me now to discuss this mental health crisis is CEO of the David Lawrence Center, Scott Burgess.

Scott, welcome.

Thank you for joining us.

Thank you for having me.

So I read a news release that your organization issued saying that call Your county faces a catastrophic mental health and substance addiction crisis, particularly among seniors.

What is going on with seniors right now that has a so concerned?

Yeah, we're seeing a complete increase in the need for services, particularly with seniors around depression and anxiety.

We've seen a skyrocketing number of individuals in that regard.

We've seen a 52% increase in the last two years.

And seniors coming to David Lawrence, Centers for care.

And a lot of that has to do with a couple of things.

Number one, we have a growing senior population in our community.

So from a prevalence standpoint, we just have more people that are in that senior age group group.

But in addition, we've seen a tremendous number of things that are challenging for seniors across these last several years, not least of which we've had we've had hurricanes.

We've had the Covid situation, which really led to a lot of social isolation, separation from family, some of those, regular schedules that people are used to, that can really throw off somebody's psychological well-being, and economic challenges, obviously, that can be a big stressor.

So all of those things are culminating into greater levels of depression and anxiety in particular.

And also substance use, challenges within the senior population.

I want to ask you about the expansion you're going through.

But first, I just want to talk a little bit about the access to care in our community.

Where do we stand on.

I'll focus specifically on seniors, on getting help.

I found that a lot of counselors, therapists are not taking insurance now.

What is sort of happening and how tough is it to get, you know, psychological care for seniors?

It's a big challenge.

In Florida at large.

Florida was ranked one of the worst mental health support systems in the country as far as having availability of therapists.

The national average is, about 300 individuals to every one mental health therapist in a community in Florida.

It's 500 to 1.

And in Collier County, it's 900 to 1.

Oh my goodness.

So we have a significant shortage of availability of just a numbers of therapists.

Then you mentioned another issue where, unfortunately there are a number of private practitioners that, won't even accept insurance, Medicare insurance or private insurance.

It's pay out of pocket, at a retail rate.

And there's a lot of individual seniors that can't afford that.

So that's also another issue.

So at David Lawrence Centers, we do the very best we can within our resources to be able to be available for individuals, including seniors, that struggle with mental health.

But sometimes we do have to run a little bit of a waiting list.

In order for that to happen, because we just don't have enough therapists to to be able to address the full need.

We're trying to grow, and that's part of our comprehensive campaign, is to bring in some resources through, you know, donors and others in our community that can link arms with us so that we can hire more therapists and build facilities that are going to accommodate, seniors that are going through these struggles.

So tell us about the expansion and how that will benefit the community.

Absolutely.

Well, we're thrilled that we are going to be breaking ground in March on a new inpatient facility, which will be fully dedicated to adults.

It will act as the behavioral health emergency room for all adults in Collier County, including seniors.

We are going to expand.

Currently, our, emergency room in this regard only has three beds for all of Collier County.

You can imagine how busy it is and how difficult it is to get people.

Throughput from our emergency room on to units.

But we will go from three beds to 12 beds in the new facility, and then we're going to dramatically expand from 30 beds in our current facility to 75 beds.

And the new building, one of those units, 15 beds in one unit in that building, is going to be dedicated to seniors.

So we're going to be able to have seniors receive really specialized care within their own distinct unit, which is going to be therapeutically very beneficial for them.

All right, Scott Burgess, thank you for your time and thank you for what you do.

Thank you so much.

Thank you.

When emergency services are called to a scene, every second matters in Sarasota.

They are providing better care for those in need by investing in blood.

The county's fire department is partnered with Suncoast Blood Centers to conduct lifesaving blood transfusions to patients suffering from severe bleeding or traumatic injuries.

EMS vehicles have been equipped now with a temperature controlled storage device, and will use universal type blood for immediate on the scene.

Transfusions.

traditionally saline, was used as a replacement fluid, but CFD says by using blood, the odds of survival dramatically improve.

And how great is the need for us to have blood to be able to give to trauma patients?

It's incredible.

The faster you give the blood, the better people do.

We know that from scientific research.

So we have very good scene times.

We respond to the scene very quickly.

We get off the scene very quickly, usually within ten minutes.

So we can, by that patient 20 minutes or more if they're, you know, if they're that far from the hospital.

So it's very important for us to be able to give the blood right away.

It has been nearly a year since a plane crashed on I-75 in Collier County.

Five people were on board.

The pilot and copilot did not survive.

Federal investigators have yet to issue a final report on the cause of that crash.

But the North Collier Fire Department wants to honor all the efforts of emergency responders across the region.

That day.

Recently, the department created a video of the response efforts before, during, and after the incident.

That video is the basis for a joint project with You, a 30 minute documentary on how lives were saved that day.

Joining me now is Lieutenant Brian Orsine, a firefighter at North Collier Fire Rescue.

Brian, welcome.

Thank you for being with us today.

Thank you.

Thank you for having me.

So I know that you were one of the first crews that responded to the scene that day.

For folks who may not remember it.

Describe for us a little bit about the scene and what you know.

What was the danger, really, for so many people in that area that day?

So it was in the middle of the season.

So the the interstate is jam packed with traffic.

Once you get there, there's bystanders standing around.

There's, law enforcement all over the place.

For for me and my crew, it was an unknown amount of fuel.

How?

You know, jet fuel is very volatile, very flammable.

Not knowing how much is there and just trying to, get the fire out, number one, and make sure that if there's any survivors on the plane, make sure they're out and they're safe.

So obviously, producers are working on this project right now, but what is what do you think?

Why do you think this project is so important?

There's a lot of agencies that that are all don't necessarily work together all the time, but there were so many agencies that came together that day and worked in my view, almost flawlessly.

And there wasn't many hiccups that I'm even aware of.

But we all work together, very well.

And just everybody did their jobs and stayed safe and made sure everybody else was safe.

That was in the area.

Obviously, I know that as emergency responders, you prepare for events like this, but this was like a first.

Correct.

I do I do believe this is the first for North Collier, that I'm aware of.

And 18 years I've been there, I've never heard of an actual crash, maybe landing on the interstate or something like that.

But this was this was not a small plane.

This was a this was a larger plane.

A my understanding is there was something unique in this day and that besides, you know, everybody being prepared for the incident, there was a lot of things that worked in your favor.

A lot of luck that day.

Fair to say.

I think the crews were prepared and in their head, I think that the crews, while we don't work together every day, we all train at some point together.

And I think everybody kept a level head and just tried to just do their job and not to really come and do something super heroic.

Yeah, I'm getting it.

It was it wasn't the, flight crew sort of ready and geared up because they were getting ready for.

I did hear I did hear, the talk that the, one flight attendant was on there, that she did an amazing job and that she, she made sure the crew got him to the back of the plane and made sure they were strapped and strapped herself in.

And, as soon as the plane went down, they went out of, I believe, a luggage hatch.

So she she had the proper training to.

My understanding is you obviously want to honor all the work that sort of the seamless efforts that happened that day to to save lives.

But you also wanted to honor the crew on board.

I believe that in this instance that the pilots were actually the true heroes and that they gave their lives to save countless number of people if they had actually landed on the interstate.

Who knows how many cars, vans, trucks or whatever they would have taken out and and killed or seriously injured a lot more people than just two people losing their lives.

I believe that they truly are the heroes here, not us.

What is your hope for this documentary long term, whether it's lessons learned or just what they learn about what emergency responders do?

I hope that the public realizes that that we we love our jobs.

This is this is what we've trained to do.

We love coming to work every day.

Not many people have that luxury of going to a job that they absolutely love.

And.

Everybody, just everybody just did their job and know that the that the the people that work and serve the community love their community.

And we just we're just glad that we could have been there the to do what we do.

Lieutenant Orsini, thank you so much for what you do.

We appreciate your time.

Thank you.

Coming up.

They might not be the next Tiny Tim, but these Southwest Floridians are learning how to play hundreds of songs with just a few chords.

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Tackling four strings and six cords all in an afternoon.

Southwest Floridians celebrated World Ukulele Day recently at Riverside Park in Bonita Springs.

WGCUs Amanda Inscore Whittamore was there to capture the tunes from new students and the masters.

So the band is sensitive and sensitive in a pouch.

No worries and you'll start.

I mean, the band just says it's World Ukulele Day, and we've brought in Mandy Harvey, who was a finalist on America's Got Talent, got the Golden Buzzer.

You know, for you, I mean myself, John, and we have 13 other artists of acclaim.

It's so to me because we have a free lessons which are very popular, you're going to learn three chords and we're going to also play two songs based on those records.

12341234.

The best part is you learn six chords and you can play hundreds and hundreds of songs.

Otherwise you never.

And that's a great way to bond socially wonderful for our memory.

And it's great fun.

And what I really find is that we're better together the more we get together.

And the people come up and they, you know, they know the songs, they sing along or tap their toes to the music.

And I see lots of smiles on people's faces.

But I want I love the music and, you know, is the great unifier.

And when you see people all come and you've had any part of it, it's tremendously rewarding, especially when you see people like at the lessons here who have never had an instrument and they play it and, and it'll become a part of their life.

That's that's such an incredible reward.

You've got to give something that when people.

A look into the history of the land coming up next week on southwest Florida.

In focus.

We investigate the legacy left behind by some of the region's prominent families and largest landowners.

And we sit down with legendary Everglades photographer Clyde Butcher to learn more about how his work was recognized with one of the nation's highest honors.

Be sure to join us for that story and much more on WGU.

Until then, have a great week everyone!

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