Lehach Begins Tenure as Chairman of the Board of Directors for Martin Memorial

George Lehach, president of Northern Trust Bank in Martin County, began his tenure in April as Chairman of the Board of Directors for Martin Memorial Health Systems. Lehach has served as a member of the Martin Memorial Board of Directors since 1997, including three years as vice chairman.

Lehach is a past president and board member of Hibiscus Children’s Center and Foundation. He has also served on the boards of the Lyric Theatre, Atlantic Classical Orchestra and the Martin County Council for the Arts.

“Martin Memorial is an invaluable resource for residents of Martin and St. Lucie counties and this is an exciting opportunity to help continue its long history of providing quality care to the community,” Lehach said. “This organization has seen tremendous accomplishments in recent years, and I believe we will not only maintain that level of excellence, but build upon it.”

Lehach takes over from George H. Rittersbach Jr., MD, who served three years as chairman. Dr. Rittersbach, who was the first physician to chair the board of directors, oversaw a period of growth and change during his tenure. That included the transition from the health system’s long-time president and chief executive officer, Richmond M. Harman, to its current president and CEO, Mark E. Robitaille.

During Dr. Rittersbach’s three years as chairman, Martin Memorial also continued to expand its health care services in St. Lucie County. The health system received its certificate of need to build a new hospital in Tradition from the Florida Agency for Health Care Administration, opened a freestanding emergency center at its facility in St. Lucie West, and added a diagnostic imaging center with state-of-the-art CT and MRI scanners in east Port St. Lucie.

The health system was also named as one of the 100 Top Hospitals in the country for the fifth time by Thompson Reuters in March 2010, and earned recognition as a national Employer of Choice in 2009 – one of only 16 health care organizations to achieve that mark.

“Dr. Rittersbach has left an indelible mark on this health system,” Robitaille said. “We thank him for his leadership and commitment to helping provide access to quality health care in our community.”