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Doctors like having say in use of funds

By JULIE MINDA

It is a source of pride and an opportunity to talk about the value of philanthropy for Dr. Paul Chappano whenever one of his patients mentions having spotted his photo among the 100-plus shots of physicians in the lobby of St. Vincent's Medical Center Riverside in Jacksonville, Fla., part of Ascension's three-hospital St. Vincent's HealthCare.

Dr. Sonya J. Dominguez reads a book to two sisters during the older child's checkup. The "Reach Out and Read" literacy program, which is supported by St. Vincent's Physicians Giving Society, provides books to families of clinic patients and pediatricians encourage parents to read to very young children. Dominguez is a physician in St. Vincent's Family Medicine Center.

The physician donor wall of the St. Vincent's Physicians Giving Society builds buzz for the philanthropy, Chappano said. "Patients will look for their doctors on the wall. And, when people see that the physicians are giving their own money to the hospital, it makes them more willing to donate themselves."

The decade-old physician giving club has raised about $2.3 million in physician donations for a wide variety of causes. It's also gotten physicians more involved with the health system and provided them with new networking and leadership opportunities, said Jane Lanier and Jim Towler. Lanier is president and chief development officer for St. Vincent's HealthCare Foundation, and Towler is director of donor services.

St. Vincent's hospitals match 50 cents on each dollar donated by physicians. An endowment the foundation created for the donations currently is valued at about $2 million. Around 3 percent to 4 percent of that fund is distributed annually, according to Towler. About $927,000 has been distributed to date to programs and causes chosen by the physicians.

The grants have funded scholarships so that St. Vincent's nurses can get their master's degrees; they've paid for clinical support staff to accompany St. Vincent's physicians on overseas mission trips; they've gone toward music therapy programs; and they've been used to upgrade automated external defibrillators at St. Vincent's.

"They really have gone through the exercise very thoughtfully, they want to make a difference," Towler said, adding, "The physicians are one of our most generous groups of donors. Plus, they not only give to the giving society, they also give their time and donate to other St. Vincent's causes."

To join the giving society, each physician commits to a gift of at least $10,000 — or $2,000 annually for five years. Technically, the giving society actually is three separate entities — one society apiece for each of St. Vincent's three hospitals — Riverside and Southside hospitals in Jacksonville and its Clay County campus about 30 miles away in Middleburg, Fla. Physicians can choose to belong to one or multiple societies. Their funds will go to the hospital or hospitals they've designated. They can choose to split their gift amount to whichever hospitals they wish, or they can give all of it to one. Each facility's recognition wall contains photos of the physicians who have joined that facility's society.

A panel of physician leaders directs each society, with nine council members at Riverside, 12 at Southside and seven at Clay County. Each year, each council solicits ideas from giving club members about how endowment funds should be distributed before deciding what to fund.

One of Chappano's favorite recipient causes is a literacy program that benefits patients of St. Vincent's family medicine clinics. Through "Reach Out and Read," St. Vincent's clinicians give parents of patients aged 3 weeks to 3 years a "prescription" to read to their children twice per day. The children also receive a book, provided through giving society funds.

Clinicians can teach parents who can't read how to use the books with their child by describing what the pictures convey. And they can point parents to literacy programs in the community.

"I love Reach Out and Read," said Chappano. "Our family medicine clinic patients tend to be low-income, and this provides those parents with the ability to help their children."

Lanier said the foundation honors the giving society members for their generosity, not only with the photo wall but also with recognition events, including tailgate parties for Jacksonville Jaguar football games, golf outings and black tie celebrations.

Lanier said the society has given physicians "a chance to network, when they're usually too busy to connect with each other at the hospital." Many physicians have met colleagues they never would have encountered in their work at St. Vincent's. And, since family members are welcome at many society functions, many of the physicians' spouses and children have built bonds.

Lanier said the giving club has inspired physicians' family members to become involved in hospital fundraising. It's motivated associates to give. It's given credibility to fundraising campaigns aimed at large-ticket donors. It's also increased the giving spirit of the physicians themselves.

"This is all about cultivation of lifelong philanthropists, who may be inspired to give to other causes, too," Lanier said.