Final beam installed for Jefferson Hospital ER expansion

Allegheny Health Network is one step closer to finishing its emergency room expansion at Jefferson Hospital.

The final steel beam was placed Wednesday as officials from AHN and Highmark Health celebrated with local leaders and EMS crews at the Jefferson Hills facility.

The $21 million expansion and renovation project will increase the size of the emergency department by 50 percent. The size will increase to nearly 30,000 square feet including additional treatment and observation rooms. It is expected to be finished later this year.

The new department will feature eight care team stations, often called nursing pods, instead of just one central nurses’ station. The design will give medical professionals a more direct connection to the rooms. It’s designed to accommodate patients of all ages, including pediatric-friendly exam rooms and pediatric-trained clinical staff.

It will also house designated behavioral health caregivers, and have dedicated space for trauma resuscitation and bariatric patients.

AHN officials said the emergency department typically sees around 50,000 patients each year with a new patient coming in every 10 minutes.