{"id":413850,"date":"2026-09-29T16:06:08","date_gmt":"2026-09-29T16:06:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/413850\/"},"modified":"2026-09-29T16:06:08","modified_gmt":"2026-09-29T16:06:08","slug":"lee-health-establishes-dr-larry-antonucci-scholarship-endowment-fund-to-honor-legacy-of-leadership-and-service","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/413850\/","title":{"rendered":"Lee Health Establishes Dr. Larry Antonucci Scholarship Endowment Fund to Honor Legacy of Leadership and Service"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><img fetchpriority=\"high\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"500\" height=\"159\" src=\"data:image\/svg+xml,%3Csvg%20xmlns=\" http:=\"\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-41771\" data-lazy- data-lazy- data-lazy-src=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/lee-health-foundation-logo-cropped.jpg\"\/><img fetchpriority=\"high\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"500\" height=\"159\" src=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/lee-health-foundation-logo-cropped.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-41771\"  \/><\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Commitment of $250,000 to Support Employee Education and Professional Development<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">FORT MYERS, Fla. (Sept. 29, 2026) \u2013 The Lee Health Foundation Board of Trustees in partnership with the Lee Health Board of Directors is proud to announce the creation of the Dr. Larry Antonucci Scholarship Endowment Fund, establishing a permanent legacy honoring the visionary leadership, service, and lasting impact of Dr. Larry Antonucci, who is retiring after more than four decades of advancing healthcare in Southwest Florida.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Established with a $250,000 founding gift from the Lee Health Foundation Board of Trustees, the endowed fund will create ongoing opportunities for Lee Health team members to pursue education, leadership development, professional certifications, and career advancement.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The Board invites community members, physicians, grateful patients, business leaders, employees, and friends of Lee Health to honor Dr. Antonucci\u2019s legacy through contributions that will support future generations of healthcare professionals.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cFor decades, Dr. Larry Antonucci has dedicated his career to serving patients, supporting caregivers, and strengthening healthcare throughout our region,\u201d said Dominic Cameratta, chair of the Lee Health Foundation Board of Trustees. \u201cOne of the defining characteristics of his leadership has been his unwavering belief that when organizations invest in people, exceptional care follows. This fund ensures that commitment will continue to benefit Lee Health employees and ultimately the patients and families they serve for generations to come.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Before joining Lee Health\u2019s executive leadership team, Dr. Antonucci spent 24 <a>years as a<\/a> practicing obstetrician and gynecologist in Fort Myers. He joined Lee Health in 2007 and served in a variety of leadership roles before being named President and Chief Executive Officer in 2017. Throughout his tenure, he championed a culture of excellence, innovation, employee engagement, patient-centered care, and continuous learning.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Under Dr. Antonucci\u2019s leadership, Lee Health expanded access to care, grew critical services and partnerships, successfully navigated historic challenges including the COVID-19 pandemic and Hurricane Ian, and further strengthened its role as Southwest Florida\u2019s trusted healthcare leader.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The Dr. Larry Antonucci Scholarship Endowment Fund carries those values forward by creating a permanent source of support for employees seeking to grow professionally, expand their expertise, and advance their careers. Earnings from the endowed fund will be used to provide assistance for educational and professional development opportunities that strengthen the workforce and help ensure the highest quality care for the communities Lee Health serves.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cDr. Antonucci\u2019s impact extends far beyond buildings, programs, and strategic initiatives,\u201d said Chris Simoneau, chief development, marketing, and communications officer of Lee Health. \u201cHis greatest legacy is the culture he helped build and the countless employees, physicians, and leaders he inspired throughout his career. This fund honors his belief in lifelong learning while investing in the future leaders of Lee Health.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Gifts to the fund offer a meaningful way to honor Dr. Antonucci\u2019s enduring impact while investing in the people who will carry Lee Health\u2019s mission forward for generations to come.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">To make a gift in honor of Dr. Antonucci, visit <a href=\"https:\/\/leehealthfoundation.org\/donate\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">LeeHealthFoundation.org\/Donate<\/a> and select the Dr. Larry Antonucci Scholarship Endowment Fund from the drop-down menu.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">About Lee Health Foundation<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Lee Health Foundation raises philanthropic support on behalf of community-focused nonprofit Lee Health to establish, expand, and enhance lifesaving and preventive programs in Southwest Florida. Contributions to the Foundation benefit all five Lee Health hospitals and specialty services. In the past year, the Foundation provided $34+ million in funding to enhance patient care throughout the region. Please visit <a href=\"https:\/\/leehealthfoundation.org\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">LeeHealthFoundation.org<\/a> for more information about the role of Lee Health philanthropy in Southwest Florida.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Commitment of $250,000 to Support Employee Education and Professional Development FORT MYERS, Fla. (Sept. 29, 2026) \u2013 The&hellip;\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":413851,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[14],"tags":[209,211,210],"class_list":["post-413850","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-cape-coral","tag-cape-coral","tag-cape-coral-headlines","tag-cape-coral-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/413850","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=413850"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/413850\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/413851"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=413850"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=413850"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=413850"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}