For 21 years, Southwest Florida’s seniors have counted on volunteer Jo Marshall to help them with their Medicare health insurance issues, as Marshall served those two-plus decades as a volunteer with the SHINE (Serving Health Insurance Needs of Elders) Program through both the State of Florida’s Department of Elder Affairs (DOEA) and the Area Agency on Aging for Southwest Florida (AAASWFL). But now, this longtime volunteer is finally retiring.

Specially trained SHINE counselors help educate and empower Medicare beneficiaries, their families, and caregivers. SHINE counselors like Marshall provide free and unbiased information to help clients understand their Medicare health care options so they can make the best decisions for their individual needs.  SHINE counselors also help beneficiaries understand benefits available through Medicare, like preventative healthcare services.

Volunteering from her counseling site at the SHARE Club in Cape Coral Hospital, Marshall assisted thousands of clients from across the seven-county region over the past two decades. Marshall filed hundreds, if not thousands, of appeals, winning nearly all of them. Available reporting data shows that Marshall has counseled 3,541 clients since 2010 and has spent an incredible 2,229 hours assisting those clients.

SHINE