By Lilli Dubler, Building Kentucky
Entrepreneur and philanthropist Tom Golisano recently announced that the University of Kentucky and UK HealthCare will receive a historic $50 million gift that will transform pediatric health care in Kentucky.
Golisano of Rochester, New York, is the founder of Paychex, the nation’s largest human resource company for small to medium-sized businesses, and the Golisano Foundation, one of the nation’s largest foundations dedicated to supporting programs for people with intellectual disabilities. Golisano’s announcement detailed funding for six new children’s health systems, including UK’s, which brings his total of lifetime giving to more than $1 billion.
“I am proud to make this gift to the University of Kentucky to support the health and well-being of children in the Commonwealth,” Mr. Golisano said. “As part of the Golisano Children’s Alliance, UK HealthCare becomes part of a nationally recognized network of children’s hospitals that exemplifies excellence, dignity, and innovation in pediatric health care. With this gift, I hope to further UK’s mission of advancing health care in the state and providing high-quality health care to children and families closer to home.”
The gift, the largest in UK HealthCare history and the second-largest to UK, will support the university’s mission to improve the health of our state’s children through access to advanced care, enhancing research to address our biggest challenges and expanding educational opportunities to provide essential health care professionals across the state and beyond.
“We are honored and incredibly grateful to Mr. Golisano for the generous gift he has made to the University of Kentucky, and to our efforts to meet the needs of Kentucky children,” said UK President Eli Capilouto. “Mr. Golisano’s life has been about grit and grace, and that’s exactly what we see every day here in Kentucky. His generosity is a testament to his faith in what we provide to Kentucky and her children — a promise to extend compassionate care, to more patients, closer to home. We’ll translate his gift into acts of goodness to ensure a healthier, wealthier and wiser Kentucky.”
To honor this transformative gift, the executive committee of the UK Board of Trustees met to approve that Kentucky Children’s Hospital, along with its specialty clinics and affiliate network, will be renamed in honor of Mr. Golisano:
- Kentucky Children’s Hospital will become Golisano Children’s at UK.
- The Richmond Road site will become Golisano Children’s at UK – Richmond Road.
- The affiliate network will become Golisano Children’s at UK – Affiliate Network.
Funds from the Golisano gift will not only go to improving the hospital itself, but will be used to grow and cultivate the affiliate network and other programs out in the state.
“The impact this gift will have for our hospital and the others receiving donations cannot be overstated. At Kentucky Children’s Hospital, we treat young people from all across the state,” said Scottie B. Day, M.D., physician-in-chief for Kentucky Children’s Hospital. “Knowing the life-changing resources this will bring to these children and their families in their greatest time of need is truly inspiring. We look forward to being part of the Golisano Children’s Alliance that will strengthen children’s health care for years to come.”
A “hospital within a hospital,” the initially named UK Children’s Hospital launched in 1997. In 2005, it was renamed Kentucky Children’s Hospital, a change that reflects service to all of Kentucky’s kids, not just those in the Lexington area.
Today, it comprises more than 210 beds across six units, and includes several specialty units and programs for pediatrics like the Makenna David Pediatric Emergency Department, the DanceBlue Kentucky Children’s Hospital Hematology/Oncology Clinic, the Kosair for Kids Center for Safe and Healthy Children and Families, the Joint Pediatric Heart Care Program, a “one program, two sites” collaboration with Cincinnati Children’s Hospital that is one of the top-ranked pediatric heart programs in the country, and a partnership with Shriners’ Children’s Lexington on an outpatient surgical and rehabilitation center that is among the top pediatric orthopedic programs in the country by U.S. News & World Report.
In more recent years, Kentucky Children’s Hospital has taken major steps to expand access to its specialty services across the state. In 2023, UK HealthCare opened a new facility, Kentucky Children’s Richmond Road, which is home to four specialty clinics: the Complex Care Clinic, Developmental Pediatrics Clinic, NICU Graduation Clinic, and the Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation Clinic. Earlier this year, the Kentucky Children’s Hospital Affiliate Network was launched, connecting community hospitals across the state to expert pediatric care and resources.
