Penn State Health will rename children’s hospital after historic $50M gift
Penn State Health is one of six new partner hospitals joining the Golisano Children’s Alliance after a $50 million gift from billionaire philanthropist Tom Golisano. The children’s hospital will incorporate Golisano into its name.
The Penn State Health Golisano Children’s Hospital in Hershey will join nine other institutions as part of the newly created alliance, Golisano announced Tuesday from the Golisano Institute for Business and Entrepreneurship in Rochester, New York.
The alliance is the first of its kind collaboration between children’s hospitals that have the Golisano name and are dedicated to elevating pediatric care, Golisano said. There were previously four Golisano Children’s Hospitals, and during Tuesday’s announcement Golisano committed $253 million to six new partner hospitals.
“These hospitals will continue to operate independently, but now through collaboration, shared learning and a connected name will have the opportunity to share research, training and best practices and advocate together for stronger pediatric health care across the country,” Golisano said.
The children’s hospital, located on the Hershey campus of Penn State Health Milton S. Hershey Medical Center and Penn State College of Medicine, provides care to children, including advanced treatments for more complex medical conditions. It is the region’s only Level IV neonatal intensive care unit and Level I pediatric trauma center.
In a university press release, Penn State President Neeli Bendapudi said the gift is a “profound investment” in children’s health and the future of Penn State’s academic health system.
“We are incredibly grateful for Mr. Golisano’s support, which builds upon our founding vision and propels us forward in our commitment to improving health outcomes for the people of our commonwealth and beyond through education, research and compassionate care,” Bendapudi said.
The gift is the largest single philanthropic gift to Penn State Health since the M.S. Hershey Foundation gave the university $50 million in 1963 to establish a medical school in Hershey, the release states. With the gifts announced on Tuesday, Golisano’s philanthropic contributions exceeds $1 billion. Golisano is the founder of Paychex, Inc.
Michael Kupferman, CEO of Penn State Health, said the gift will help elevate the health system’s ability to care for families.
“This gift will help catalyze meaningful growth for our system and accelerate our drive toward the highest levels of care, service and discovery — all leading to a healthier future for children across Pennsylvania and beyond,” Kupferman said.
The release lists several areas that will be invested in thanks to Golisano’s historic gift, including health equity in rural communities, behavioral health care for children and adolescents, pediatric cardiology and cardiac surgery programs, pediatric neuroscience care, neonatal intensive care units across the health system, training new pediatricians and specialty providers, researching new treatments and cures, and enhancing an outpatient care program for pediatrics.
Golisano said Erica Dayton, executive director of the Golisano Foundation, did research on each of the hospitals, visited all of them and then representatives from the hospitals participated in an interview process in Rochester.
The idea of the alliance was more important to the hospitals than Golisano originally thought it would be, because they’re able to share best practices, knowledge, purchasing and more, he said. He anticipates the alliance members getting together throughout the year to share ideas and practices.
“The alliance is not about creating another organization. It’s about connection and action. The goal is to build a nationally recognized network of children’s hospitals that exemplifies excellence, dignity and innovation in pediatric health care,” he said.
Looking ahead, he expects the Golisano Children’s Alliance will grow with more hospitals joining.
“I see a future where the Golisano Children’s Alliance continues to grow, where more hospitals join us, more children get care close to home, and more families find hope when they need it most,” Golisano said. “Together, we’re building something that will last long beyond any of us, a legacy for generations to come.”
This story was originally published October 28, 2025 at 12:38 PM.
