Allegheny General Hospital emergency department preps for $43M expansion

Allegheny Health Network announced Tuesday a major expansion and renovations of the emergency department at its flagship Allegheny General Hospital on Pittsburgh’s North Side.

The $43 million project will add 17 beds — bringing the total to 48 — and redesign much of the interior in five phases, bringing the department to 36,000 square feet. Work is expected to be complete by the end of 2027.

Its first phase, expected to be completed this fall, will involve creation of a new waiting area, triage and care initiation rooms and a space for patients awaiting test results.

In addition, a new X-ray room will be constructed and the department’s entrance will be relocated during the phase.

The planned 57 treatment rooms in the emergency department will use ambient glass enclosures, which AHN said “foster a transparent environment” and “improve visibility and navigation.”

“It will be a facility that better accommodates the growing demand for emergency services and empowers one of the best emergency medicine teams in the country to excel in meeting that demand,” hospital President Imran Qadeer said.

The second phase will see the relocation and expansion of the department’s trauma bays, which AHN said will have the capability to be converted into negative pressure rooms for critically ill patients.

In the future, the department will have treatment rooms for patients with behavioral health needs, a corridor and direct elevator access to the trauma ICU, and operating rooms and a radiology suite “streamlined” for patient transport to the emergency department.

AHN will also construct a new lounge and “respite” room for emergency staff.

“Investment in this facility and its remarkable caregivers is an investment in both the future of medicine and the unique Living Health strategy we are advancing to transform our industry and create the ultimate patient care experience for the people we serve,” AHN President Mark Sevco said.

AHN said the project is part of a “broader plan to transform the [hospital] campus over the next decade.”