Allegheny Health Network has launched a $43 million emergency room renovation at the health system’s flagship Allegheny General Hospital. AHN announced the multi-phased 36,000-square-foot project Tuesday, which is slated for completion in 2027.
Once completed, the new emergency department will have 57 treatment rooms and 48 patient beds, up from the facility’s current count of 32. The new emergency room will feature increased patient visibility with ambient glass enclosures, which AHN said will “maximize care efficiency and patient safety.”
“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,” said AGH president Dr. Imran Qadeer. “At AGH, we are committed to providing exceptional care and services for every emergency health need, and this new facility will greatly expand our capacity to do so.”
AGH is one of the region’s Level 1 trauma centers, capable of offering specialized care for the most severe cases. The emergency room cares for more than 40,000 patients per year, according to a statement from the health system.
The renovation will unfold in five stages “to minimize disruption to patient care,” AHN said. The first phase, expected to be completed by this fall, will upgrade the hospital’s waiting area, tirage and care initiation rooms as well as space to await test results. The health system said the first phase is focused on improving the initial experience of a patient upon entering the facility.
The project will also move the entrance to the emergency department to a new, centralized security station staffed by Highmark Health police officers.
The health system plans to install a larger X-ray room adjacent to CT scan rooms as well as equipment alcoves to improve storage capacity and workflow.
The second phase of the project, likely to unfold next year, will relocate and expand the emergency department’s trauma and resuscitation rooms. Staff will be able to convert any of the new six trauma bays into negative pressure rooms — which prevent airborne cross-contamination from entering the room — as needed for the most critically ill patients.
The renovation is part of a broader initiative to upgrade the AGH campus over the next decade. AHN said in a statement that the expansion would not only improve patient care but also the quality of academic medical instruction at the learning hospital.
“Highly specialized facilities like AGH are vital community resources; acting as regional referral centers for the sickest patients, providing breakthrough treatments and cures,” said Mark Sevco, AHN president. “And serving as training sites for the next generation of medical pioneers and thought leaders.”
