Wellstar Children’s Hospital of Georgia receives $50 million investment

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.

About Wellstar Health System

Wellstar personalizes the patient experience. We call it PeopleCare and it’s only possible thanks to our 34,000 team members who provide expert compassionate care for every stage of life. PeopleCare also means we serve our communities as a non-profit health system, providing more than $1 billion annually in charity care and community programs, and operating the largest integrated trauma network in the State of Georgia. We embrace innovation and technology, nurture early-stage companies through our venture firm Catalyst by Wellstar and train future generations of caregivers with academic institutions including Augusta University’s Medical College of Georgia. Wellstar honors every voice and is one of the Fortune 100 Best Companies to Work For. To learn more, visit Wellstar.org.

About the Wellstar Foundation

Through corporate and community partnership, the Wellstar Foundation fuels innovation and action to address the vital needs of diverse communities in Georgia. As the philanthropic arm to Wellstar Health System, the Foundation is transforming health care by enhancing health equity, innovation and technology, behavioral health and workforce development. Every dollar donated funds the mission and initiatives addressing the most pressing health care needs in Georgia and our region. To learn more, visit wellstar.org/foundation or call 770-956-GIVE (4483).

About Tom Golisano and The Golisano Foundation

Tom Golisano — entrepreneur, philanthropist, and civic leader — is the founder of Paychex, Inc., the nation’s largest human resource company for small to medium-sized businesses. Mr. Golisano’s vision, perseverance, and action have left an indelible mark on a broad spectrum of issues that touch our lives in business, health care, education, animal welfare, voter policies, politics, and tax reform. His investments are advancing entrepreneurship and driving the success of numerous businesses and start-ups. His philanthropic contributions to education, hospitals – including multiple children’s hospitals across the country that bear his name and numerous other organizations exceed $1 billion.

A fierce advocate for dignity and inclusion, in 1985 Tom Golisano applied his pioneering spirit to establish the Golisano Foundation to make the world a better place for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities. With more than $120 million in gross assets, it is one of the largest private foundations in the U.S. devoted to supporting programs for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities awarding grants to non-profit organizations in Western New York and Southwest Florida.

In 2025, Mr. Golisano launched the Golisano Children’s Alliance, a national initiative that provides strategic funding and brings together children’s hospitals across the United States to elevate pediatric care by expanding services, strengthening collaboration, and ensuring that children and families have access to the highest quality medical attention close to home. Together, Alliance members are building a nationally recognized network that exemplifies excellence, dignity, and innovation in pediatric health care.

About Augusta University and the Medical College of Georgia

Located in the historic city of Augusta and across seven regional campuses throughout the state, Augusta University is home to the Medical College of Georgia and is Georgia’s designated health sciences and medical research university. With 11 colleges and schools, AU is a university with very high research activity, graduating an average of over 500 doctoral degrees annually and progressively increasing its average annual research expenditures to over $125 million. Through an innovative partnership with Wellstar Health System, Augusta University is home to Georgia’s only public academic medical center, expanding the university’s reach and impact in clinical care, medical education and research. The university – which has been named by Forbes as one of the top 100 employers in the state of Georgia for the seven straight years – is also home to Georgia’s only dental school, the Dental College of Georgia, as well as the Georgia Cyber Innovation & Training Center, a national hub for cybersecurity education, training and innovation.