AUGUSTA, Ga. (WRDW/WAGT) – A significant gap in pediatric heart care is being filled at Wellstar Golisano Children’s Hospital of Georgia.

The hospital will construct a dedicated Cardiac Intensive Care Unit (CICU), a project funded by a $50 million investment from the Golisano Foundation and supported by its new partnership with the Golisano Alliance.

This partnership and the substantial donation led to the hospital’s renaming to Wellstar Golisano Children’s Hospital of Georgia.

The donation, the largest in the hospital’s history, prompted the name change and will address a critical need for specialized cardiac care space as the hospital outgrows its current facilities.

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New cardiac ICU planned

Currently, only two hospitals in Georgia can treat children born with complex heart defects. WellStar Golisano Children’s Hospital is one of them, but space constraints have become an issue.

“We have a cardiac ICU team that is caring for these patients now in rooms adjacent to our ICU, but we know that with continued growth, they will be better served in a unique space in a separate cardiac intensive care unit for children,” said Dr. Valera Hudson, pediatrician-in-chief of WellStar Children’s Hospital of Georgia.

The hospital is already planning the separate cardiac intensive care unit, which doesn’t currently exist at the facility.

Heart disease is the leading cause of death in Georgia, according to the American Heart Association. Children are not exempt from the disease.

“This donation just accelerates a timeline for that which we are over the moon about,” Hudson said.

Partnership brings additional benefits

The partnership extends beyond funding. WellStar Golisano Children’s Hospital now joins the Golisano Children’s Alliance, a network of 12 children’s hospitals across the United States that share best practices and innovations in pediatric care.

Planning for the cardiac ICU is just beginning.

As written by  Zayna Haliburton and published online by WRDW/WAGT: Feb. 2, 2026 at 1:37 PM EST