Supporting Educational Goals at Lee Health
From Dr. Larry Antonucci, Lee Health’s president and chief executive officer.
At Lee Health, we believe in supporting our team members and our community any way we can, especially when it comes to advancing great health care for Southwest Florida.
Educational and professional goals are very important to many of our team members, and achieving these enhances the care our community can expect to receive at a Lee Health facility.
It’s amazing to hear our team members talk about how grateful they are to be able to receive tuition assistance and scholarships as they pursue their degrees. Education is one of our core values.
In addition to offering tuition reimbursement for eligible Lee Health full-time team members, we also have an annual Education Award Program available to current team members and volunteers and Southwest Florida residents interested in pursuing a career in health care.
These education grants are made possible thanks to the support and generosity of donors through the Lee Health Foundation and the Cape Coral Hospital, Gulf Coast Medical Center and Lee Memorial Hospital auxiliaries. We are extremely grateful for their contributions.
This program has helped hundreds of community members and Lee Health team members pursue and fulfill their career and education goals, which range from phlebotomy (blood drawing) to bachelor or master of nursing degrees to physical therapy, health care management, cardiovascular technology, midwifery, biomedical science, social work and more. Since the program launched in 2015, 1,313 recipients have received $1,835,861.
Along with the Education Award Program, Lee Health Foundation also supports additional scholarships, including the following:
- An endowed scholarship at Florida Gulf Coast University (FGCU)
- 10 scholarships for graduate students in mental health counseling at FGCU each year through Kids’ Minds Matter
- Stipend, scholarship and travel support through the Shipley Center Scholars Program Fund for bioengineering students at the FGCU College of Engineering
- Two scholarships for Golisano Children’s Hospital pediatric cancer survivors, provided through Barbara’s Friends in partnership with the Collaboratory
- Ain’s Heart of Caring Scholarship for CNAs to become RNs. It currently has 10 recipients enrolled at nursing schools across the community
We are proud to be able to offer such a huge benefit to our team members and community.