The four-story, 104,500-square-foot cancer center Mission Hospital’s Mission Viejo location is planning to open in 2019 just got a very large check. Judi and William “Bill” Leonard gave an eight-figure gift to name the facility.
The hospital is fundraising for $40 million to support the $80 million project. It’s raised about half, according to Mission Hospital Foundation Executive Director Gwen Anderson.
The naming gift opportunity is approximately $25 million, the Business Journal reported earlier.
Giving Anonymously
The Leonards have asked the hospital to hold the amount of their gift in confidence.
“Bill is someone who is very humble and who just gives because that’s in his heart, Judi too,” said Anderson, adding that Bill often jokes about never bringing Judi to any meeting because “she would give everything they have away.”
The couple’s first gift to Mission Hospital, prompted by a direct-mail solicitation, was in 1999, when they donated $100 to support cancer programs and services. Over the past 15 years, the couple and their namesake family foundation have made 24 individual gifts supporting multiple events and campaigns.
They instilled the value of philanthropy in their children, Chris Leonard and Debbie Perez, from a young age. Bill served on the hospital foundation board from 2006 to 2014, and Debbie’s served since 2015.
“It is his hope that someday his grandchildren will sit on the board of Mission Hospital and will continue to give,” Anderson said. Bill and Judi have seven grandchildren.
Bill is former president and chief executive of Philadelphia-based Aramark Corp., a Fortune 500 company that provides food, facilities and uniform services to companies in fields such as healthcare and education.
For the Community
Mission Hospital Chief Executive Tarek Salaway told the Business Journal in January when ground was broken on the center that it was “very driven by the needs of South Orange County.”
He estimated 60% of the people living in South OC leave the area to get treatment for cancer, either elsewhere in the county or in Los Angeles. The gift enables the hospital to provide “a comprehensive level of [cancer] care that was previously unavailable in our community,” according to Salaway.
Anderson said the Leonards, who live in the area and use Mission Hospital, believe in the importance of good healthcare in a community. “They don’t want to see our community go without [cancer care],” she said.
Mission Hospital is part of Providence St. Joseph Health, which operates 50 hospitals in seven states. Its local network has seven hospitals in OC.
REIT JV
The new center is a 50-50 joint venture between Mission Hospital and senior housing-focused real estate investment trust Welltower Inc. (NYSE: HCN) in Toledo, Ohio.
It’s in line with a hospital trend in increasing outpatient locations—cheaper care sites with better patient accessibility. Moreover, its location at the Shops at Mission Viejo, a Simon Property Group Inc.-owned (NYSE: SPG) center, pushes the envelope of what it means to be convenient.
It’s “the first time a major health system, a health care REIT and Simon have collaborated to bring health care to a vibrant destination like The Shops at Mission Viejo,” said Welltower Chief Executive Tom DeRosa in a statement in December.
The regional mall has 150 stores and restaurants, including Nordstrom, H&M and The Cheesecake Factory.
Cancer Care
The cancer center, which will serve nearby communities, including Ladera Ranch, Rancho Santa Margarita, San Juan Capistrano and Mission Viejo, will join five others in the county as a National Cancer Institute-designated comprehensive cancer center.
Salaway told the Business Journal in January that the facility is good news for the South OC population—the area has over 610,000 people, a number projected to reach 650,000 in the next four to five years.
“We are a beach community, definitely outdoor-oriented, and melanoma cancer, a growing population over 65—all major indicators for more cancer services locally.”
There are approximately 13,000 new cancer patients in the county each year, according to the American Cancer Society.
The center will have a dedicated genomic cancer program and work with partners, including City of Hope and the University of Southern California’s Norris Comprehensive Cancer Center in L.A. Salaway said an important differentiator for the center will be its focus on prevention, which is reflected in its name: the Judi and Bill Leonard Institute for Cancer Prevention, Treatment and Wellness.
