Connecticut Children’s announced Tuesday that the hospital received the largest single financial gift in its history – $50 million – that will be used in part to expand pediatric care and technology investments.
The donation is part of a $250 million gift that philanthropist Tom Golisano is giving to hospitals across the country. The medical centers will share their research and best practices as part of a network named after Golisano.
“This extraordinary gift from Tom Golisano ensures that children in every corner of our state have access to the highest level of pediatric care,” said Jim Shmerling, president and CEO of Connecticut Children’s.
The funds will be used to help drive Connecticut Children’s expansion of pediatric access, investments in research and technology, and the hiring of more specialists, the hospital said in a statement.
Golisano made his fortune launching the payroll company PayChex more than 50 years ago, with just $3,000. Currently, his lifetime giving exceeds $1 billion.
“Few things have brought me as much pride, as much fulfillment, as investmenting in children,” he said Tuesday to a gathering in Rochester, New York.
“These 10 are the first 10, and I think there’s going to be more,” he said, announcing the Golisano Children’s Alliance, a collaborative network of children’s hospitals working together to improve outcomes.
“I am fortunate to be able to help others in this way, and I’m looking forward to seeing what these hospitals can achieve together,” he said.
He said that additional transformative gifts will help strengthen the hospital alliance.
Twenty years ago, the University of Rochester Medical Center was the first hospital to get funded by Golisano, whose hometown is Rochester.
“Imagine a future where an innovation developed at a Golisano children’s hospital, like a groundbreaking new therapy, is rapidly shared across the alliance, reaching children in every corner of the country,” said Dr. Jill Halterman, physician-in-chief of Golisano Children’s Hospital at the University of Rochester Medical Center. “And where … every child benefits from the strength of our collective expertise. This is the promise of the alliance.”
