The Elaine Nicpon Marieb Charitable Foundation Donates $250K to Lee Health after Hurricane

FORT MYERS, Fla. - Nov. 7, 2022 - PRLog -- Lee Health Foundation announced the organization received a generous donation of $250,000 from The Elaine Nicpon Marieb Charitable Foundation for the Lee Health Employee Relief Fund. The gift will support the healthcare heroes who cared selflessly for their patients during and after Hurricane Ian, separating them from their families, experiencing devastating loss, and still putting their patients first.

"Many of our nurses lost contact with their families and watched as their cars were flooded in our hospitals' parking lots, yet they continued to provide compassionate care. That's what they do," commented Chris Simoneau, Chief Development, Marketing and Communication Officer for Lee Health. "We were just turning the corner of the COVID-19 epidemic and the toll it had taken on healthcare professionals around the world. To then be faced with the events of Hurricane Ian is crushing.  This gift is a statement of support for our nurses, physicians, and all our team members."

The Elaine Nicpon Marieb Charitable Foundation's mission is to advance the nursing profession, investing in access to education and training that continues the development of the nursing profession. Dr. Marieb, who passed away in 2018, remains one of the nation's most influential nursing educators and bestselling textbook authors, most notably for Human Anatomy & Physiology.

Lee Health is the largest healthcare provider between Tampa and Miami, is the largest employer in Southwest Florida, and is proud to have a nursing workforce of more than 4,000 nurses and CNA's amongst 15,000 employees and 2,000 physicians. At Lee Health, nurses care for more than 1,400 patients across five hospitals every day, and many thousands more at ambulatory and outpatient sites across the region. Recruiting and retaining nurses is one of the top priorities of the health system.

The Lee Health Employee Relief Fund will provide them with immediate and long-term support in the areas of housing assistance, transportation, food, clothing, childcare, grants, mental health counselling, continual professional development and training, higher education and certifications, enhanced technology, and community partnerships to continue investing in the Southwest Florida nursing profession.

Visit SWFLtogether.org to donate to the Lee Health Employee Relief Fund and inspire health, hope and healing for your local healthcare heroes and the community they serve.

About The Elaine Nicpon Marieb Charitable Foundation

The Elaine Nicpon Marieb Charitable Foundation is a private foundation in Naples, FL whose mission is advancing nursing development, education and training.

About Lee Health Foundation

Lee Health Foundation raises philanthropic dollars on behalf of Lee Health including Cape Coral Hospital, Gulf Coast Medical Center, HealthPark Medical Center, Lee Memorial Hospital, and Golisano Children's Hospital of Southwest Florida. Please visit http://www.LeeHealthFoundation.org or call (239) 343-6950 for more information about the role of Lee Health philanthropy in southwest Florida.