Our History

Our origins can be traced to 1916 when a group of community leaders set aside $300 and donated lumber from the dismantled courthouse, to build the first hospital in Fort Myers. That first hospital, Lee County Hospital — with four rooms and 10 beds — was the beginning of health care in our area.

Today, Lee Health consists of four acute care hospitals: Lee Memorial Hospital, HealthPark Medical Center, Gulf Coast Medical Center and Cape Coral Hospital, and two speciality hospitals: Golisano Children's Hospital of Southwest Florida and The Rehabilitation Hospital.

We are also home to primary care and specialty care offices, outpatient facilities, fitness centers, skilled nursing and rehabilitation, and much more.

With a total of 1,812 beds, and more than 1.5 million patient contacts each year, Lee Health is now the largest public health system in the state of Florida, receiving no direct tax support.

Supported by more than 14,000 dedicated employees and 4,500 volunteers and auxilians, Lee Health remains the bedrock of our community by offering acute care, emergency care, rehabilitative and diagnostic services, health and wellness education, community outreach and advocacy programs throughout the five-county region.

We continue to invest back into our community to improve facilities, add services and extending care to those who need it most — in their own backyard.

Since opening our first hospital, Lee Health has been dedicated to our community – neighbors, colleagues, friends, family, the people we live and work with every day. You are at the core of our mission, values, and principles. 

We are Lee Health: Caring People. Inspiring Health.