AHN Forbes Hospital Announces $63 Million Infrastructure Investment to Power Next Generation of Growth

Multi-year capital project modernizes core hospital systems, expanding capacity for future clinical advancement at the Monroeville campus

Monroeville, Pa. - Allegheny Health Network (AHN) today announced a $63 million, multi-year investment in the foundational infrastructure of AHN Forbes Hospital, positioning one of the region's busiest medical campuses for growth and greater care access in the decades ahead. Since its opening in 1978, AHN Forbes has become the eastern region's most advanced provider of surgical, emergency, and critical care services.

The planned investments in the hospital will upgrade core building systems, including electrical transformers and switchgear, emergency generators, the chilled water plant, boilers and steam systems, fire pumps, and sanitary lines. The project includes the construction of a new two-story facility on the Forbes campus, which will house these resources on its ground floor and a state-of-the-art conference and education center on its second floor.

"This investment is fundamentally about growth, past and present," said Mark A. Rubino, MD, president, AHN Forbes Hospital. "Forbes has evolved into a true regional referral center and destination for cutting-edge medical care, serving eastern Allegheny County and surrounding communities, and the demands placed on our facility have grown with us. Our infrastructure has reached its limits, and this project sets the stage for the next amazing chapter the hospital's legacy."

The infrastructure project comes on the heels of a period of significant expansion at Forbes.

Recently, the hospital opened a second cardiac catheterization lab, adding life-saving cardiac care capacity for patients east of Pittsburgh. Forbes also converted a former inpatient rehab unit into 20 new medical-surgical beds to meet increasing demands for acute care and completed a $2 million main lobby renovation to modernize the hospital's primary entryway.

Over the last decade, the hospital has added a $35 million stand-alone Cancer Institute location, completed a 10,000 square-foot expansion of its labor and delivery unit, opened a new $17 million perioperative center, and built a new Emergency Department behavioral health observation suite. In 2013, Forbes also added trauma care capabilities, becoming Allegheny County's only Level 2 adult trauma center.

"Every one of these clinical advancements placed new demands on the building systems," said Skylar Van Soest, Vice President of Real Estate, Facilities, and Construction at Allegheny Health Network. "From our chilled water capacity to our electrical substation capacity, to the new professional training center, this project is about making sure our infrastructure matches the ambition of our clinical mission."

The Forbes campus has also grown physically from 50 acres to 75 acres with the acquisition of adjacent properties.

Construction is already underway, with fencing visible on the Forbes campus. The new infrastructure building is expected to be completed within the next 14 months.

Among the most significant upgrades is the addition of two new 2.75-megawatt emergency diesel generators, each individually capable of sustaining full hospital operations. The new system will allow Forbes to operate as a fully self-sustaining campus, independent of the regional electrical grid if needed.

"Right now, power disruptions can affect critical services," said Jeffrey Carlson, Chief Operating Officer of Forbes Hospital. "When this project is complete, localized power outages won't affect us. We will have the ability to fully sustain hospital operations, including our operating rooms. As a trauma center, that commitment to our community is non-negotiable."

The second floor of the new facility will replace the hospital's existing Learning Centers, which are being demolished to make way for the project. The new conference center will feature dedicated meeting rooms, digital walls, and modern audiovisual systems, built to meet the growing educational demands of a campus that hosts an expanding roster of nursing students, residents, and medical staff.

"Forbes has become a hub for clinical education, and our existing Learning Centers weren't keeping pace with that growth," said Dr. Rubino. "The upgraded conference center will give our teams and our learners a space that reflects the caliber of the institution we've become."

According to hospital leadership, the infrastructure investment is being made in anticipation of continued future clinical growth on Forbes' campus.

"This investment is our commitment to the next 50 years, ensuring that the people of Eastern Allegheny and Westmorland counties and beyond have access to the highest level of care, close to home, for generations to come," Dr. Rubino said.

Media Contact:

Sarafina Brooks James
Allegheny Health Network
412-609-2902
[email protected]