Nursery at New Santa Barbara Cottage Hospital
to Be Named for Donor

Several areas in new hospital
will bear the names of major donors

(December 2005) A $1 million gift from Fred and Joyce Lukas of Montecito will result in naming the newborn nursery at the new Santa Barbara Cottage Hospital in their honor, it was announced this week by The Campaign for Cottage Health System. The Lukas gift brings total charitable donations toward the $100 million campaign beyond the $31 million level. (Read about other recent gifts to the Campaign.)

Mr. and Mrs. Lukas, who have been South Coast residents for the past 13 years, told the hospital they were making the gift because they are convinced that the not-for-profit Cottage Health System is part of the critical infrastructure of the community, and as such, an important and necessary beneficiary of philanthropic support. Joyce Lukas is a former pediatric nurse and today a volunteer at Santa Barbara Cottage Hospital. Her husband is the founder of Trident Data Systems, a provider of comprehensive network-security solutions which since 2003 has been part of General Dynamics Corporation.

The largest and most ambitious community philanthropic effort in the hospital's history, The Campaign for Cottage Health System will help pay for the $500+ million replacement of Santa Barbara's only acute-care hospital. The phased construction project, for which ground was officially broken this summer, is already under way at the site of the original hospital of the 1880s. When completed at the end of 2012, it will meet the new unfunded seismic safety requirements set by the State for all California hospitals.

Wishing to honor significant donors in a meaningful way has been the basis behind developing a series of naming opportunities throughout the new hospital. By offering a broad selection of choices to match a donor's specific interests, Cottage will be able to honor significant generosity, linking the donor's name to areas throughout the hospital.

Among those who have already pledged $1 million or more are the late Lord Paul Ridley-Tree and his wife Leslie. A nursing pavilion in the new hospital will honor their $10 million gift to The Campaign for Cottage Health System.

The Graduate Medical Education lounge at the hospital will be named in honor of William and Carol Davidson. A former chief of staff, member of the board of directors, and the hospital's very first director of medical affairs, Dr. Davidson chose to link his and his wife's gift to their interest in physician education and Cottage's renowned residency programs.

Robert and Nancy Knight's legacy will be tied to a bridge designed to span the river of life which will run through the central outdoor area of the new hospital. Mr. Knight is immediate past chair of the CHS board and a current member, and has been closely involved for a number of years in the plans for the new hospital.   

For more information on naming opportunities, please contact the Development Office at (805) 879-8996.

The not-for-profit Cottage Health System consists of 366-bed Santa Barbara Cottage Hospital, a regional trauma center and teaching hospital, with its associated Cottage Children's Hospital; 122-bed Goleta Valley Cottage Hospital; and 20-bed Santa Ynez Valley Cottage Hospital. Last year, the hospitals provided inpatient care for 21,000 people, treated 62,000 patients through their 24-hour emergency departments, and helped deliver 2,900 newborns. With a staff of more than 2,500, Cottage is the largest private employer in the County.

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