Our origins can be traced to the Fall of 1916 when a group of community leaders set aside 300 dollars, and donated lumber from the dismantled Court House, to build the first hospital in Fort Myers. That first hospital, Lee County Hospital, a two story, four room, 10 bed, wooden building was the beginning of community health care in our area.

Today, Lee Memorial Health System 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. With a total of 1423 beds, and over 1 million patient contacts each year, this makes Lee Memorial Health System the largest public health system in the state of Florida, receiving no direct tax support.

Supported by more than 10,500 dedicated employees and 4,500 volunteers and auxilians, Lee Memorial Health System 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 back yard.

In the nearly 100 years since opening our first hospital, our dedication to our community - the people with whom we live and work - has been at the core of Lee Memorial Health System's mission, values and strategic planning principles.