Naples philanthropist Tom Golisano announced the creation of the Golisano Children\u2019s Alliance, committing $253 million in gifts to six new children\u2019s hospitals.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Lee Health\u2019s Golisano Children\u2019s Hospital in south Fort Myers is one of four original Golisano-named hospitals now joined by six new partner hospitals under the Alliance.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Golisano made the announcement during a conference Oct. 28 at the Golisano Institute for Business & Entrepreneurship in Rochester, New York, marking a milestone as his lifetime giving now surpasses $1 billion.\u00a0<\/p>\n
In making the announcement, Golisano said he has been honored to help advance world-class pediatric care that the four children\u2019s hospitals have been providing.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cBecause of that success, I am proud to announce the newly formed Golisano Children\u2019s Alliance,\u201d Golisano told the crowd of about 350. \u201cThis is a first-of-its-kind collaboration between children\u2019s hospitals that bear the Golisano name, dedicated to elevating pediatric care by expanding services, strengthening collaboration and ensuring that children have access to the highest quality medical attention close to them.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
He said the hospitals in the Alliance will remain independent but will meet at least twice a year to share research, training and best practices and to advocate together for improved pediatric health care nationwide.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cThe Alliance is not about creating another organization: It\u2019s about connection and action,\u201d Golisano said. \u201cThe goal is to build a nationally recognized network of children\u2019s hospitals that exemplifies excellence, dignity and innovation in pediatric health care.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Lee Health\u2019s Golisano Children\u2019s Hospital serves a five-county region in Southwest Florida, including Collier County. It became the third hospital to bear Golisano\u2019s name after his $20 million donation in 2012 helped fund the construction of the 135-bed facility, which opened in 2017.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Dr. Emad Salman, vice president and chief physician executive at Golisano Children\u2019s Hospital, said Golsiano\u2019s generosity has been \u201ctruly transformative\u201d, and that the new Alliance will \u201chelp in the progression of great care for children.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
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Dr. Emad Salman<\/p>\n
Golisano Children’s Hospital<\/p>\n
\u201cWe are creating a forum for children\u2019s hospitals to get together to be collaborative and try to improve the quality of care, not just in Southwest Florida, but across the nation,\u201d Salman said. \u201cThis will probably speed the process from discovery to implementation over time, whether it\u2019s research that we can try to find answers to problems that face children or methods of delivery of care.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd since we are one Golisano family, some of the barriers that organizations may sometimes have will be removed, so we can talk honestly without the thought that we are competing with each other.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Salman said the area of research is a good example of how the Alliance\u2019s \u201cbrain power\u201d and collaborative approach could help improve care and outcomes.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cIf you\u2019re doing a research project as a single institution, it may take several years to be completed because you may not have enough patients that will be able to go to a clinical trial,\u201d Salman said. \u201cBut now, with 10 hospitals, if we\u2019re doing a clinical trial across those hospitals, we\u2019ll be able to get answers a lot sooner.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
When asked what excites him most as a clinician about the opportunities the Alliance will offer, Salman said it\u2019s the chance to break down barriers between organizations.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cHonestly, it is the opportunity to be able to collaborate freely without people having their guard up and being protective of their organization, and the fact that we can just sit down and discuss how we\u2019re going to improve the lives of millions of children,\u201d he said.\u00a0<\/p>\n
In addition to Lee Health\u2019s Golisano Children\u2019s Hospital, the other three original Golisano-named pediatric facilities are Golisano Children\u2019s Hospital at University of Rochester Medical Center in New York, Upstate Golisano Children\u2019s Hospital at SUNY Upstate Medical University in Syracuse, New York; and Golisano Children\u2019s Hospital in Buffalo, New York.\u00a0<\/p>\n
The six new partner hospitals joining the Golisano Children\u2019s Alliance and adding Golisano to their names include Connecticut Children\u2019s Medical Center in Hartford, Connecticut, receiving $50 million; Penn State Health Children\u2019s Hospital in Hershey, Pennsylvania, $50 million; University of Kentucky Children\u2019s Hospital in Lexington, Kentucky, $50 million; University of Maryland Children\u2019s Hospital in Baltimore, $50 million; University of Vermont Children\u2019s Hospital in Burlington, Vermont, $25 million; and West Virginia University Medicine Children\u2019s Hospital in Morgantown, West Virginia, $28 million.\u00a0<\/p>\n