No. Lee Memorial Health System Facilities - including Cape Coral Hospital, Lee Memorial Hospital, HealthPark Medical Center and Gulf Coast Medical Center - are not designated hurricane shelters.

For a list of the available shelters, please refer to Lee County Emergency Operations Center website: http://www.leeeoc.com/

All special needs guests must be pre-registered with Lee County Emergency Management. If you are not registered yet, please call 239-533-3640 or go to www.leeeoc.com

You will need to complete the necessary paperwork. Please be prepared to have your physician fill out a portion of your form. You must have a caregiver arrive with you and stay with you through the length of the hurricane or you will be refused.

If you are granted approval for special care status during a hurricane, you will receive food, water and—if needed—oxygen, but you will not be considered a patient; you must have you own caregiver with you at all times, and bring your own medicine, bed linens and supplies. If a medical emergency arises while you are staying in the hospital during the hurricane aftermath, you must go to the ED and register.

A Special Needs Guest is determined by Lee County Emergency Management. To stay in a hospital during a hurricane you must be pre-qualified by your physician. In-hospital criteria are: IV therapy, hyperalmentation, renal dialysis, ventilator patient/life support, or third trimester pregnancy.

For more information about third trimester pregnancies and planning for a hurricane, please speak with your physician. Special needs guests must be accompanied by a caregiver to be accepted into a hospital.

When the Lee County Emergency Operations Center recommends it, our Lee Memorial Health System hurricane plan goes into effect. Lee Memorial Health System disaster plan follows the level of activation of the Lee County Emergency Operations Center. When the disaster plan is activated, all elective (lab, diagnostic, surgical) procedures are cancelled. Please call your physician's office to reschedule.