Tom Golisano, a healthcare philanthropist and founder of the human resources company Paychex, Inc., often says, “The only wealth you get to keep is that which you give away.”

Late last year, Golisano announced a $50 million investment in the Wellstar Children’s Hospital of Georgia, which is affiliated with Augusta University’s Medical College of Georgia.

In honor of his remarkable generosity, the hospital was renamed the Wellstar Golisano Children’s Hospital of Georgia. In addition to the financial support, Wellstar Golisano Children’s Hospital of Georgia has joined the Golisano Children’s Alliance, a national consortium of 21 leading children’s hospitals. Joining the alliance creates opportunities for new partnerships, expands innovation and shares best practices to further advance children’s health and wellness.

On Oct. 14, community leaders and representatives from Augusta University and Wellstar MCG Health Medical Center unveiled a plaque honoring Golisano for his generous gift and celebrated the official naming of Wellstar Golisano Children’s Hospital of Georgia.

“Mr. Golisano’s generosity is already helping our faculty physicians and care teams build on the extraordinary work they do for children and families,” said Augusta University President Russell T. Keen. “His investment strengthens the partnership between Augusta University and Wellstar MCG Health and creates more opportunities to deliver specialized care, advance research and prepare future health care professionals. We are grateful for his belief in our people and in the life-changing, life-saving work happening here in Georgia.”

“Our family knows how much it means to have a children’s hospital you can count on when your child needs care,” said Augusta University First Lady Karen B. Keen, chair of the Children’s Hospital Philanthropy Committee and a member of the Wellstar Foundation Board. “Behind every advancement Mr. Golisano’s generosity makes possible is a child and a family hoping for more time together, another birthday or that first day of school. We are deeply grateful that he is helping make those moments possible for more families.”

“Mr. Golisano’s generosity is already helping our faculty physicians and care teams build on the extraordinary work they do for children and families.” Augusta University President Russell T. Keen

Valera Hudson, MD, chair of the Department of Pediatrics at the Medical College of Georgia at Augusta University, said that when she met Golisano last year, she learned of his deep passion for helping children in need.

“I had the opportunity to tell Tom, he may be a very accomplished businessman, but he has the heart of a pediatrician,” Hudson said, smiling. “His vision for the Golisano Children’s Alliance is truly transformational for healthcare for children across our country.”

“His legacy is truly going to be represented for generations to come in serving children,” Hudson added. “Specifically, here at the Children’s Hospital of Georgia, in my conversation with him, I shared with him the progress that we have been making in developing our pediatric heart program. Georgia is a very large state and only has two comprehensive heart programs and we have been committed to continuing to grow our program.”

Golisano has his own personal experience with pediatric heart disease. His great-granddaughter, Marley Anne Hearn, was born with a congenital heart disease that required surgery. She spent almost three months at the University of Rochester Medicine Golisano Children’s Hospital.

“His legacy is truly going to be represented for generations to come in serving children.”

Valera Hudson, MD, chair of the Department of Pediatrics at the Medical College of Georgia at Augusta University

Hudson said Golisano wanted to ensure more children had access to the same quality of care that his great-granddaughter received.

“We were already well on this journey with our heart program and making great strides and, with the Golisano funds, we have been able to accelerate our plans for new equipment for our pediatric cardiac catheterization lab, which is essential because 70 procedures now occur in the cath lab with support from our cardiothoracic surgeons,” Hudson said.

In addition, Wellstar Golisano Children’s Hospital of Georgia has been able to recruit some key personnel, including a second cardiothoracic surgeon, she said.

“We are in the process of also recruiting the new pediatric cardiac electrophysiology specialists as well as additional cardiologists that are needed to support the program,” Hudson said. “That is a stepping stone to ultimately getting to a completely new separate cardiac ICU, distinct from our general ICU, so that we can provide the highest level of care in that closed unit. So, we are on that path.”

During the ceremony honoring Golisano, Christa Dickert of North Augusta shared her son’s story of spending the first 372 days of his life in the hospital.

At 28 weeks into her pregnancy, Dickert had to have an emergency C-section. Her son, Cooper, was born weighing just 1 pound, 3 ounces. The parents also learned he had a heart defect.

Cooper needed heart surgery at 6 months old.

“After hearing what Mr. Golisano said about how he wants his contributions to make the world a better place, I immediately thought the world’s a better place because Cooper is in it and Cooper wouldn’t be in this world if it wasn’t for the Children’s Hospital of Georgia,” Dickert said. “There were many times that people had to intervene in ways that only a hospital with this level of care would have been able to. He did have to go to the cath lab. He did have open-heart surgery. He did have to get a trach. He did come home with a ventilator. And all those things are impossible to happen without people who generously give.”

“Cooper graduated from the ICU the day before his first birthday and we went to the floor and that’s where we threw his birthday party. Now, in just a few weeks, Cooper will be starting pre-K. He wouldn’t be here without the Children’s Hospital of Georgia." Christa Dickert of North Augusta

She said it was such a relief to have such a quality children’s hospital in their “backyard.”

“He was transported here when he was only eight weeks old because the hospital that he was at didn’t have the level of care that Cooper needed,” Dickert said, adding that for almost six months, Cooper was in a medically induced coma. “It was very, very challenging to watch what our son was going through. So being in an area where we had our support system in place was fabulous and the nurses and the doctors really became like family to us. It was such a blessing to have those people surrounding us and caring for us.”

Wellstar Golisano Children’s Hospital of Georgia saved her son’s life, Dickert said.

“Cooper graduated from the ICU the day before his first birthday and we went to the floor and that’s where we threw his birthday party,” Dickert said, adding that the nurses and staff at the hospital helped throw him the party. “Now, in just a few weeks, Cooper will be starting pre-K. He wouldn’t be here without the Children’s Hospital of Georgia.”