Providence Saint John’s Health Center in Santa Monica received its largest gift to-date last week.
The estate of longtime donor and onetime Saint John’s patient Stan Lucas donated $100 million to the medical center, which will go toward prostate cancer research and treatment.
“Stan’s gift is the purest form of philanthropy,” said Sheryl Bourgeois, president and chief executive of the Saint John’s Health Center Foundation, in a statement. “While he will never personally benefit from this investment, his legacy will fuel advancements that transform care, push us beyond today’s limits and change outcomes for patients far into the future. With this gift, the largest in our history, comes both an honor and a responsibility. We intend to rise to it.”
Lucas, who had been treated for prostate cancer at the hospital, had named the Saint John’s Health Center Foundation as the primary beneficiary of his estate upon his death. The gift will establish the Stanley H. Lucas Endowed Chair in Urology, which will support research, diagnostics, treatment and prevention for prostate cancer and other urologic diseases.
A known automotive enthusiast and collector, Lucas made his fortune with Lucas Automotive Engineering, which produced various parts for Ford Motor Co. and eventually manufactured specialized tires for antique vehicles. He lived in Venice when he died last year.
According to the National Cancer Institute, prostate cancer accounts for more than 15% of all new cancer cases last year, with nearly 314,000 new diagnoses recorded. It also accounted for 5.8% of all cancer deaths last year. About 120 men out of every 100,000 were diagnosed and the institute estimates that more than 3.5 million American men lived with the disease in 2022.
“This gift marks a defining moment for Saint John’s,” said Michael Ricks, chief executive of the Providence L.A.Coastal service area and Providence Saint John’s Health Center. “Stan Lucas believed deeply in this hospital, in the physicians and caregivers who cared for him, and in what is possible when excellence and compassion come together. We are profoundly honored by the confidence he placed in us and committed to stewarding his legacy with purpose and integrity.”
