AUGUSTA, Ga. — Wellstar leaders and community guests gathered Wednesday to celebrate a new name on Augusta’s children’s hospital, tied to Paychex founder Tom Golisano’s $50 million gift — the largest philanthropic gift in Wellstar and the hospital’s history.
Fresh exterior lettering now carries the Golisano name — Wellstar Golisano Children’s Hospital of Georgia. The pledge landed in December 2025 for the Augusta children’s hospital then known without the Golisano brand, and crews recently finished installing the permanent outdoor signs.
A public naming event and plaque ceremony ran Wednesday at 11 a.m. at 1446 Harper Street. Speakers from the health system and foundation joined a formal plaque reveal recognizing the donation.
Children’s Hospital of Georgia operates a Level IV NICU serving the CSRA region and anchors pediatric care for a wide referral area. The campus also carries Level 1 Pediatric Trauma Center status and an ECMO program, alliance coordinator Annie Murphy said in remarks tied to the celebration.
Money from the investment is backing high-acuity pediatric work, including a path toward a new Pediatric Cardiac ICU. Dr. Valera Hudson, pediatrician in chief, said intensive-care capacity has already grown from 14 beds to 22 as a step toward a separate cardiac unit.
The gift also put the Augusta campus in the first wave of Golisano Children’s Alliance members — a dozen hospitals at the start. By October 2026 the national network had 21 members, past the halfway mark toward a goal of 40.
Organizers said the hospital treats children from every Georgia county and from neighboring states, and that alliance membership is meant to expand specialty care close to home.