Jos F. Morillo, the head of Lehigh Regional Medical Center for the past three years, has left Lehigh Acres to head Charlotte Regional in Port Charlotte. His last day with LRMC was May 5.

Morilo, CEO of Lehigh Regional, announced his resignation on April 27. He has been chairman of the Lehigh Acres Chamber of Commerce, a board member of the Lee County Volunteers in Medicine and has been an active supporter of economic development in the Lehigh Acres area.

Morillo headed Lehigh Regional Medical Center since October 2007. He joined the system in 1993 as director of rehab and wellness in Charlotte Regional before moving toward an administrative career track.

On a letter to LRMC associates, Morillo wrote: “Our hard work has served us well as we continue to build a trust with our community that will serve us well long after I am gone. I must emphatically state that I am excited not only about my personal future, but also for the future of Lehigh Regional Medical Center.”

Health Management Associates, which operates both hospitals, named Chris Rakunas as interim CEO. Rakunas has been serving as chief operating officer for Lehigh Regional medical Center for the past two years. He is also active in the community as a board member of Lehigh Community Services, a board member of Kiwanis Club of Lehigh Acres, and a member of the Knights of Columbus at St. Raphael’s in Lehigh Acres.

Rakunas also coaches basketball in the Sheriff’s Youth Activities League in Lehigh and was a judge for the Lehigh Acres Idol competition at the 2010 Spring Festival.

“Chris has been a huge asset to me and to our organization. I can attribute much of the financial success of our organization to the vision he created and the “sweat equity” he put forth to make sure this vision became a reality. Chris immediately accepted our mission and made it a point to make all decisions with this end in mind. He has my full support and I am confident that he will make it his top priority to make this transition as seamless as possible”, Morillo said.