Areas of Support
Ochsner Lafayette General Foundation offers a variety of giving opportunities. All gifts are processed through Ochsner Lafayette General Foundation, a nonprofit 501 (c) (3) organization responsible for receiving and administering private donations to benefit Ochsner Lafayette General. While donors may choose to make gifts to the areas that most closely align with their corporate mission or personal passions, Ochsner Lafayette General Foundation’s goal is to provide support for Ochsner Lafayette General's strategic priorities to advance its mission To Restore, Maintain, and Improve Health so we can continue providing exceptional care to our patients in Acadiana for many years to come. As a donor, you may specify how you would like your gift designated. Gifts to Ochsner Lafayette General Foundation are tax-deductible to the extent allowed by law. The following is a list of designations.
Donate to a Fund
Areas of Greatest Need
As Ochsner Lafayette General grows and changes to meet the needs of healthcare, it is imperative that the health system maintains adaptability to meet those changes. Contributions made to the area of greatest need provide executive leadership the flexibility often needed in decision-making regarding allocation of scarce resources.
Community Healthcare Impact Fund
Community Healthcare Impact Fund is an Ochsner Lafayette General Foundation discretionary fund that gives us the capacity to increase philanthropy, establish and grow to improve healthcare in communities served by Ochsner Lafayette General through strategic development initiatives.
Centers of Excellence
The vision of Ochsner Lafayette General is to “Be a regional healthcare system that always delivers excellence.” The Excellence Fund is a restricted fund supported entirely by the generosity of our donors for our Centers of Excellence. These funds create opportunities for improvements and innovations in patient care that is changing and saving lives every day. Patients and their family members who have been touched by a specific healthcare issue can designate a gift to the area that is most meaningful to them.
Below is a list of our Centers of Excellence.
• Major Teaching Hospital
• Bariatrics Center
• Cancer Center
• Imaging
• Stroke Center
• Neuroscience Program
• Orthopedics
Capital Improvements
There are many naming opportunities for individuals, businesses and corporations interested in attaching their name to a building, hospital room or other area. Your investment will go towards facility expansion and renovations, centers of excellence, endowed scholarships, technology and equipment or capacity building. Naming opportunities begin with a $1 million gift. Naming opportunities can be made outright gift, or multi-year pledge payments. Current naming opportunities include the following:
• Ochsner Lafayette General Medical Center Chapel
• Ochsner Acadia General Hospital Emergency Department
• Ochsner St. Martin Hospital Building Fund
• Ochsner Abrom Kaplan Memorial Hospital Building Fund
• Ochsner Lafayette General Healthcare Clinic
Education Fund
Annual Scholarship
Donors may wish to create and name a scholarship with a minimum contribution of $1,000. Once the proceeds from the scholarship are awarded to a student(s), the fund is depleted and the scholarship ends. Donors have the option of contributing to their scholarship on a recurring annual basis to ensure that the fund remains in effect. The Ochsner Lafayette General Foundation Executive Director will work with the donor to determine the criteria for awarding the named scholarship. For example, a donor may choose to create the Susan B. Smith Scholarship in Nursing for a student entering into a credit program from a college or university within Louisiana.
Endowed Scholarship
A donor may wish to create and name an Endowed Scholarship by making a one-time or pledged contribution (payable over a period of up to five years) a minimum contribution of $25,000. Once the minimum endowment level of $25,000 is reached, the funds are invested for one year. After one year, the interest earned from the funds may then be awarded to the student(s). The principle will remain intact in perpetuity. Funds may be added to the named endowed scholarship at any time. The Foundation Development Officer will work with the donor to determine the criteria for awarding the named endowed scholarship. For example, a donor may choose to create the Jane P. Smith Scholarship for a student studying nursing with the scholarship available during the duration of their studies as long as they maintain an overall grade-point average of 3.0 or higher.
The donor may instead, wish to leave the determination of the award criteria to Ochsner Lafayette General Foundation.
Teaching Hospitals
Ochsner University Hospital & Clinics houses two hospital-based medical programs that provide primary care as well as acute services to the patients of Acadiana. The Family Medicine and Internal Medicine Programs serve the inpatient setting as well as clinics with highly dedicated medical faculty staff. Morning report, grand rounds and learning conferences keep our physicians up to date with the latest care and treatment plans.
Ochsner University Hospital & Clinics also provides multiple specialty services with board-certified medical staff working alongside our physicians sharing expertise and experiences to develop an individualized plan of care for the patients of Ochsner University Hospital & Clinics.
Advantages & Importance of a Teaching Hospital:
• Teaching hospitals are well known for improving the health of the communities they serve.
• The academic setting encourages a team approach to patient care.
• Highly trained medical staff teaching future generations assure health promotion for years to come.
Medical Training
Ochsner Lafayette General through Ochsner University Hospital & Clinics and Ochsner Lafayette General Medical Center provides classroom instruction, hands-on training, and field experiences that are unmatched in many healthcare settings. As such, the financial needs for supporting these programs vary according to technology needs, equipment requirements, instructional costs, supply expenses, etc. Ochsner Lafayette General Foundation will work closely with the donor to identify the area within the health system that would best benefit from the donor’s generosity.
Professional Medical Development
Providing adequate financial support for physician and nurses assists Ochsner Lafayette General in recruiting and retaining competent and skilled medical professionals. In order to remain current in their specific field of study, medical professionals must take advantage of training opportunities by attending medical related-specific conferences and peer institution workshops. Medical professionals also need access to medical-specific books, publications, periodicals, or other research. Ochsner Lafayette General Foundation will work closely with the donor to identify which medical professionals can most benefit from the generosity of the donor.
Telemedicine
Rural, impoverished communities in Louisiana face many challenges including access to medical care for school-aged children. The collaborative partnership of Ochsner Lafayette General, Ochsner Lafayette General Foundation, Capital One, James M. Cox Foundation and Cox Business, USDA and Lafayette Parish School System (LPSS) aims to address this need by further developing a telehealth network. This telehealth network provides access to medical care at no cost to students and their families who qualify for Medicaid within the Carencro District of Lafayette Parish School System. Through support from Ochsner Lafayette General Foundation, Lafayette General Health System, and LPSS the initial groundwork was constructed. A $250,000 award from James M. Cox Foundation, a $634,356 from USDA and $53,000 from Capital One has allowed for the updating of technologies within the telehealth system already deployed in the Carencro District. The updating of the equipment has moved the Carencro District to a new, standardized platform that allows for not only communication between the school nurse, student and clinical provider, but also simultaneous inclusion of the student’s parent(s).
Social Determinants of Health
Social determinants of health are the conditions in the places where people are born, live, work, play and age.They affect a wide range of health risks and outcomes. These conditions are known as social determinants of health (SDOH). We know that poverty limits access to healthy foods and safe neighborhoods and that more education is a predictor of better health. We also know that differences in health are striking in communities with poor SDOH such as unstable housing, low income, unsafe neighborhoods, or substandard education. By applying what we know about SDOH, we can not only improve individual and population health but also advance health equity. Addressing social determinants of health is not only important for improving overall health, but also for reducing health disparities that are often rooted in social and economic disadvantages. Ochsner Lafayette General is working together with organizations such as 232-Help and the Beacon Project to place importance on addressing SDOH here in the Acadiana area.
