Starting at the end of 2023 and throughout 2024, Lee Health completed a thoughtful, multi-phase process to become a community-focused private nonprofit health system. This new structure took effect on Nov. 1, 2024.
As we marked the first anniversary of this important milestone, we’ve been reflecting on a successful transition—one that positions us to expand services, invest in new technology and introduce innovative approaches to care.
At the time of our conversion, we made clear commitments to our patients, neighbors, and partners. Today, we are proud to have kept those promises. Here are a few of the key commitments we made, and have delivered on for our community:
We pledged to preserve our safety-net status, maintain essential services, and ensure no burden would fall on taxpayers. In 2025, those promises have not only been kept — they’ve been strengthened.
Lee Health continues to provide care regardless of a patient’s ability to pay. Preliminary figures show that we have provided approximately $168 million in charity care over the past year. This unwavering commitment ensures that underserved populations in Southwest Florida receive the care they need and deserve.
We promised to maintain access to programs and services essential to our community’s healthcare. We did and we launched new initiatives, like community paramedicine, Hospital at Home, and expanded cancer and orthopedic services—laying the groundwork for major future expansions.
We promised to maintain local control and ownership, and we have. Lee Health remains proudly independent and locally governed, with an expanded Board of Directors bringing recognized expertise in healthcare and governance.
We promised to improve quality, care coordination, and strengthen partnerships with physicians. This year, we established a physician advisory board committee that includes both independent and employed physicians, and we achieved all-time high engagement scores among employed physicians.
These are just a few examples of the promises we made — and kept — over the past year. For a full picture of our community commitments and highlights from fiscal year 2025, visit https://tinyurl.com/LHConversionAnniversary.
Larry Antonucci, M.D., MBA is the president & CEO of Lee Health, Southwest Florida’s major destination for health care offering acute care, emergency care, rehabilitation and diagnostic services, health and wellness education, and community outreach and advocacy programs. Visit LeeHealth.org to learn more.
Lee Health: Celebrating our first anniversary as private nonprofit
