UK Healthcare joins Golisano Children’s Alliance
LEXINGTON, Ky. — UK Healthcare and Kentucky Children’s Hospital in Lexington is one of six children’s hospitals in the country receiving part of an over $253 million gift from a New York billionaire.
A $50 million gift from Tom Golisano is the largest ever for UK Healthcare, and it will join a nationwide network of other pediatric hospitals. Kentucky Children’s Hospital is now one of 10 hospitals that are part of the Golisano Children’s Alliance. It’s an effort to share resources and expand access to crucial pediatric care.
“I’ve been here over 30 years, and I just get emotional, even thinking about the opportunities that this is going to provide for us and for the patients that we care for,” said Dr. Carol Steltenkamp, a professor of pediatrics at UK Healthcare.
Funds from Golisano will improve the hospital and grow the affiliate programs throughout the state.
“We know that being in your home state and being able to stay in your neighborhood if you can is really very important,” Steltenkamp said.
Golisano is the founder of Paychex, a human resource company in Rochester, New York and the Golisano Foundation, one of the nation’s largest foundations supporting people with disabilities. With his investment in the newly formed Golisano Children’s Alliance, his lifetime total giving exceeds $1 billion.
“Few things have brought me as much pride, as much fulfillment, as investing in children,” Golisano said.
Golisano’s $50 million donation is the second largest to UK. The largest was $100 million from the Bill Gatton Foundation in 2023 to the UK College of Agriculture. President Eli Capilouto said to honor his generosity, Kentucky Children’s Hospital will be renamed Golisano Children’s at UK.
“Mr. Golisano just doesn’t hand money out; he looks carefully at the recipients. [And] I think he has trust in us, has confidence in us,” Capilouto said.
Kentucky Children’s has over 210 beds across six different units.
The other children’s hospitals receiving part of the $253 million are:
- Connecticut Children’s Medical Center
- Penn State Children’s Hospital
- University of Maryland Children’s Hospital
- University of Vermont Children’s Hospital
- WVU Medicine Children’s Hospital
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