Tom Golisano, founder of Paychex, and a leading health care philanthropist, announced today a historic $50 million investment in the Wellstar Children’s Hospital of Georgia, which is affiliated with Augusta University’s Medical College of Georgia. This transformative gift, the largest in Wellstar and WCHOG’s history, is part of his longstanding commitment to children’s hospitals across the country. In honor of his remarkable generosity, the hospital will be renamed the Wellstar Golisano Children’s Hospital of Georgia.

Along with this generous financial support, WCHOG will join the Golisano Children’s Alliance, a national consortium of twelve leading children’s hospitals. Joining the alliance opens opportunities for new partnerships, expanded innovation and sharing best practices to further advance children’s health and wellness. Each hospital in the alliance remains independently owned and operated by their respective health systems. WCHOG is the only member hospital in all of Georgia, South Carolina, Alabama, Tennessee and North Carolina.

“We are deeply grateful to Mr. Golisano for his extraordinary gift to improve the health and well-being of children in Georgia and across the country. We are honored to be among the handful of hospitals nationwide that have earned his transformative support,” said Ketul J. Patel, president and CEO of Wellstar Health System. “Thanks to the power of philanthropy, we can expand the lasting impact of compassionate, innovative care to more children and families across Georgia and far beyond, today and for generations to come.”

“Children’s hospitals are essential to the health and future of our communities, and each one serves families with unique needs and challenges,” said Golisano. “The team at Wellstar Children’s Hospital of Georgia has a deep commitment to advancing pediatric care, expanding access and investing in innovation. I’m proud to support their work and to welcome them into the Golisano Children’s Alliance as we continue building a collaborative network focused on improving outcomes for children nationwide.”

“Today marks an extraordinary milestone for children’s health care in our state and for the partnership between Augusta University and Wellstar Health System. The impact of this gift and the depth of our gratitude to Mr. Golisano can’t be overstated,” said Augusta University President Russell T. Keen. “The Wellstar Golisano Children’s Hospital of Georgia is more than a place where patients and families receive compassionate care backed by groundbreaking research and innovation. It is where the next generation of health care professionals learn from many of the best faculty clinicians in the country. It’s a place of healing, learning and hope. On behalf of the students, faculty, staff and stakeholders of Augusta University and all of the children and families we serve, I want to extend a heartfelt thank you to Mr. Tom Golisano. He epitomizes the life-changing, life-saving spirit that drives the mission of Augusta University and Wellstar MCG Health.”

“Like many families in our state, The Wellstar Golisano Children’s Hospital of Georgia played a significant role in helping our family long before we moved back to Augusta and we have been advocates for its work ever since,” said AU First Lady Karen B. Keen, who serves as chair of the Children’s Hospital Philanthropy Committee and is a member of the Wellstar Foundation Board. “This is a transformative gift that gives national attention to the amazing care delivered every day at our children’s hospital, right here in Augusta.”

The Wellstar Golisano Children’s Hospital of Georgia serves as Wellstar’s cornerstone for pediatric excellence, delivering advanced surgical specialties, intensive care units (NICU and PICU) and nationally recognized outcomes for high-acuity cases. This donation strengthens Wellstar’s position as a national leader in pediatric care, starting with the creation of a new, state-of-the-art Pediatric Cardiac intensive care unit.

There are 11 other hospitals in the Golisano Children’s Alliance, including new recipient Arkansas Children’s in Little Rock, Arkansas. Children’s hospitals that previously received donations and joined the Golisano Children’s Alliance include the Golisano Children’s Hospital of Buffalo (NY), the Golisano Children’s Hospital in Fort Myers, Fla., Penn State Health Children’s Hospital in Hershey, Pa., the University of Kentucky Children’s Hospital in Lexington, Ky. and the University of Maryland Children’s Hospital in Baltimore, Md.