LMHS to honor trauma advocate with scholarship in her memory

Lee Memorial Health System will honor the life of a very dedicated friend and advocate for trauma services by creating a scholarship in her memory.

Isabel Gutentag was a member of the Regional Advisory Committee on Trauma Services, which is an advisory committee to Board of Directors for the Lee County Trauma Services District. She served as cochair of the Regional Advisory Committee for the past two years. Prior to that, she was a member of the Community Task Force on Trauma Services.

Ms. Gutentag passed away April 19 at Hope Hospice in Cape Coral.

"Isabel was a true public servant and a very great friend to Lee Memorial Health System. She worked tirelessly to ensure that area residents would have continued access to the vitally needed trauma care that our system provides," says Jim Nathan, LMHS President.

Lee Memorial Hospital, the flagship hospital of LMHS, has the only Level II trauma center between Tampa and Miami.

Ms. Gutentag worked as a nurse and served as an advocate for education and special needs children for several years before relocating to North Fort Myers in 1981. She worked as a unit clerk at Southwest Florida Regional Medical Center until she decided to reenter the life of public service.

In addition to her work for trauma, Ms. Gutentag was also a member and chair of the Lee County Housing Finance Authority, worked as a regional aide to U.S. Senator Connie Mack, was a member of the Lee County Board of County Commissioners Human Services Funding Committee, member of the Lee County School District Personnel Advisory Committee and vicechair of the Exceptional Student Education District-Wide Advisory Committee.

She was devoted to her husband of 54 years, Harold Gutentag, her daughters and her extended family.