Taubes commit $20 million to Lucile Packard Children’s Hospital Stanford

Tad and Dianne Taube have committed $20 million to Lucile Packard Children’s Hospital Stanford to support the opening of the new main building, which welcomed its first patients last December.

The newly renamed Tad and Dianne Taube Pavilion (the south tower of the new main building) houses state-of-the-art operating rooms, imaging suites and intensive care units in a child-friendly environment. 

This commitment will bring the couple’s total giving to Packard Children’s and the child health programs at the Stanford School of Medicine to more than $35 million. The Taubes now rank among the top five individual donors in Packard Children’s 26-year history since the original founding gift from David and Lucile Packard.

“We believe that it’s important to invest in the children of today, because they are our citizens and leaders of the next generation,” said Tad Taube, chairman of Taube Philanthropies. “They should be given every opportunity to grow with optimum health — one of the foremost priorities of our philanthropies. We are privileged to support the remarkable new Lucile Packard Children’s Hospital and other important health initiatives at Stanford which make a positive contribution for children and young adults.”

Other initiatives the Taubes have funded in recent months include the Tad and Dianne Taube Youth Addiction Initiative, which addresses the treatment and prevention of addiction during adolescence (made possible by a $9.5 million gift); the Taube Stanford Concussion Collaborative, which advances education, care and research to protect children from concussions (a $5 million gift); and the Taube Pediatric Neurodegenerative Research Initiative, which funds research in neurodegenerative disease in children (a $1 million gift, plus a challenge match of $375,000).

“This commitment to Packard Children’s Hospital aligns with our priority of providing the best resources for health care for the youth in our greater community,” Dianne Taube said.

The Taubes’ most recent gift will support the design, construction and purchase of equipment for Packard Children’s 521,000-square-foot main building. The new building adds 149 patient beds for a total of 361, enabling the hospital to serve more patients than ever.

Construction continues on parts of the hospital. On the hospital’s first and fifth floors, dedicated spaces for cancer and heart programs are being created. The surgery center, to open later this year, will feature six state-of-the-art operating suites, bringing the hospital’s total to 13. Packard Children’s original building, the west building, will be expanding its preeminent center for expectant mothers and babies.

“We planned every detail in our new hospital to provide the best care for children,” said Dennis Lund, MD, interim president and CEO, and chief medical officer, of the hospital and Stanford Children’s Health. “We are honored that Tad and Dianne Taube chose to make a difference in the lives of our patients and families through their visionary investments.”

Philanthropic support played a key role in making the new hospital possible. The community donated $265 million for the new building and surrounding 3.5 acres of gardens and green space.