Business & Merchant

Last Updated on Friday, 01 December 2023 14:11

State-of-the-Art, All-Private-Room Hospital Will be Built on Existing Medical Boulevard Campus, With Expected Opening in 2027

Allegheny Health Network (AHN) and Highmark Health recently announced plans to build a new full-service, all-private-room hospital in Washington County to replace Canonsburg Hospital. The new approximately 300,000-square-foot facility will have 50-100 beds and will be built on AHN Canonsburg’s existing Medical Boulevard campus in North Strabane, representing another significant milestone in the network’s strategy to bring more comprehensive, world-class care closer to home for residents in Washington County and the nearby communities of southern Allegheny County.

Construction of AHN’s new, state-of-the-art Canonsburg facility is expected to begin in 2024, pending all necessary approvals, and will open in 2027. AHN will also develop the new clinical campus to accommodate additional planned facilities, including a medical office building and a potential future cancer center. The total investment to transform the medical campus is approximately $232 million.

AHN Canonsburg was established in 1904 and has operated at the current Medical Boulevard location since 1983.

The new hospital will provide an array of advanced clinical services, including primary, emergency, and critical care; state-of-the-art surgical capabilities; advanced cardiac, orthopedic, and neurosurgical care; and various multi-disciplinary programs including women’s health. The facility’s clinical programs and medical staff will be aligned with AHN’s leading Institutes across all disciplines, further expanding the reach of the network’s nationally recognized clinical expertise.

“The population served by our Canonsburg Hospital has grown over the years and we are excited to create a beautiful, modern facility and clinical campus that will enable us to better meet the diverse healthcare needs of the community and advance our living health model,” said Jim Benedict, President, Allegheny Health Network. “Our goal is to provide enhanced access to a much broader array of integrated, high-quality, comprehensive clinical programs that will enable more patients to stay close to home for the services they need.”

Washington County’s population, now approximately 210,000, has experienced minimal-to-moderate growth over the past decade; however, the communities around Canonsburg – including Cecil Township (↑12%), Chartiers Township (↑10%), North Strabane Township (↑8%) and Peters Township (↑4%) – have experienced considerably more growth, with continued population gains expected in the coming decade, according to projections from the Southwestern Pennsylvania Commission.

Canonsburg Hospital’s service area also is home to approximately 115K Highmark members.

The new AHN Canonsburg Hospital is expected to create hundreds of additional permanent health care jobs when fully operational, as well as hundreds of construction jobs. Currently, there are approximately 400 employees at AHN Canonsburg, all of whom will be tracked to the same roles at the new facility.

“Designing an exceptional clinical environment for our physicians, nurses and other caregivers is essential to providing the best possible experience for our patients,” said Donald Whiting, MD, Chief Medical Officer at AHN. “As with all of our new facilities in recent years, we look forward to our caregivers playing a key role in helping us determine the look, feel and functionality of this new hospital to help us fulfill that promise.”

AHN officials expect to begin discussions with local municipal leaders and agencies to seek approvals for the construction plans in the coming days and weeks.

Over the past five years, AHN and Highmark Health have executed an unprecedented growth and expansion strategy that has significantly increased the scope and reach of its services throughout the western PA region. Those investments have included five new hospitals, six new cancer centers, five large-scale Health + Wellness Pavilions and other outpatient facilities, major emergency department expansions at three hospitals, significant expansion of women’s health services and facilities, and many other technological and infrastructure upgrades.