State and local elected officials joined UPMC officials for a ribbon cutting Tuesday on the new Children’s Hospital of UPMC of Pittsburgh South Hills location.
The outpatient facility in South Fayette Township is replacing the current Children’s South in Bethel Park. The new location, with easy access off I-79, is expected to expand access to care.
“The intent of the building is it will meet the needs of children from the southern end of Allegheny County, Washington County, Greene County, as well as West Virginia,” said Kathy Guatteri, vice president, outpatient services at Children’s.
The project totaled about $21 million; officials said it is expected to help spur further development in South Fayette and bring in jobs.
“Sixty of those positions will be health care-related, and we also had 60 that were related to the construction of the building,” said Guatteri. “We did take the staff that were in the Bethel Park site and relocate them here, so from a Children’s perspective, it’s an addition of about 30 new positions.”
Services will include all of those offered at the Bethel Park facility, such as cardiology, orthopedics and neurology. It will also feature increased exam space for services such as adolescent and young adult medicine, allergy, gastroenterology, plastic surgery and sleep medicine; Children’s Express Care, an after-hours and weekend center for minor pediatric injuries and illness; a 15,000 square-foot gym and exam room space for rehabilitation; and an expansion of pediatric behavioral health testing. New services will also be available.
“We’re going to add pediatric dentistry, pediatric dermatology and a chronic pain clinic,” said Guatteri.
The Bethel Park facility currently sees about 60,000 patients a year. The new facility can accommodate some 100,000 visits, plus there is room to expand. That expansion is key, according to Allegheny County Executive Rich Fitzgerald.
“One of the fastest growing populations we have is that under five population, in fact we are far exceeding the national average, even the state average, in our under-five population.”
A community open house will be held September 20 and Children’s South is slated to officially open Sept. 29.
