Anonymous
Hospice of Santa Barbara (HSB) is pleased to welcome former Congresswoman and nurse Lois Capps to its Board of Directors. Capps brings with her nearly 19 years of experience in serving the Central Coast as a U.S. Representative working to expand access to healthcare.
“Throughout her extensive career as a nurse, an educator, and ultimately a Congresswoman, Lois has always put our community first,” said David Selberg, Hospice of Santa Barbara CEO. “We’re honored that she will continue her selfless mission on our Board of Directors.”
Capps worked as a school nurse at Santa Barbara School District for many years and taught part time at Santa Barbara City College. Following the death of her husband, Congressman Walter Capps, she ran for Congress to continue his goal of restoring the bond of trust between the people and their government. Capps joined Congress in 1998 and won reelection for the nine succeeding Congresses until she retired in 2017.
During her time in office, Capps focused on improving education and healthcare, supporting businesses and veterans, and protecting the environment and agriculture.
“The people of the Central Coast have many unique needs, right up until the end of life,” said Capps. “I’ve admired how Hospice of Santa Barbara has dedicated itself to helping people from all walks of life to prepare for death and for their loved ones to heal in its aftermath. I’m looking forward to joining this dedicated team to further these efforts, in particular HSB’s work with school children.”
Hospice of Santa Barbara
Hospice of Santa Barbara provides professional counseling, support groups, and patient care services free of charge to individuals and families who are grieving the death of a loved one or experiencing the impact of a life-threatening illness. Hospice of Santa Barbara also provides counseling in our offices and on twelve local junior and high school campuses to children and teens who are grieving the loss of a loved one. For more information about Hospice of Santa Barbara, including volunteer opportunities, call (805) 563-8820 or visit www.hospiceofsantabarbara.org.
Lois Capps
Lois Capps is committed to helping people improve their daily lives through better schools, quality health care, and a cleaner environment. Before succeeding her husband Walter in Congress, Lois had successful careers in both nursing and education. Her experience in these two areas deeply informed her eighteen years of work in Congress. Capps was a respected leader in Congress on issues of public health, passing legislation to address the national nursing shortage, detect and prevent domestic violence against women, curb underage drinking, improve mental health services, provide emergency defibrillators to local communities, bring CPR instruction to schools, and provide immediate Medicare coverage to patients suffering from Lou Gehrig’s disease. Capps has also been at the forefront of efforts to protect the environment, leading efforts to stop new oil and gas drilling off our coasts, eliminate new oil drilling in Los Padres National Forest, and protect consumers from shouldering the financial burden of cleaning up MTBE contamination in their water supplies. She was also a leader in gender and LGBTQ issues as well as efforts to make college more affordable.
She retired from Congress in January of 2017 and is grateful to return and engage full-time with the community she loves. She is the proud grandmother to eight wonderful children.
