Saint Vincent Hospital leaders, along with officials from Highmark Health and Allegheny Health Network (AHN), cut the ribbon Friday morning on the hospital's new emergency department and operating room suite.

The new $51.5 million, 104,000 square-foot facility extends between the main hospital and the Hardner Building.

The new emergency department features:

  • 39 private, state-of-the-art treatment rooms designed to accommodate all ages, illnesses, and acute disease management. The rooms are arranged around a central nursing station, providing clinicians with enhanced ability to monitor patients and attend to their needs.
  • A new registration process that will greatly reduce wait times to see clinicians.
  • A doubling of the department’s patient triage space, with increased patient privacy and efficiency
  • Dedicated blood draw and EKG rooms
  • A comfortable waiting area for patients who have already been seen by the doctor, where they can await test results, freeing up treatment spaces for other patients
  • An integrated imaging suite, with x-ray and CT technology , eliminating the need to transport patients to other areas of the hospital
  • Bariatric rooms with lifts and specially sized beds to accommodate larger patients
  • Designated behavioral health assessment and treatment rooms
  • A quick care area for non-urgent care needs
  • Specialized rooms for trauma/resuscitation.

It also houses state-of-the-art operating rooms for the hospital's increasingly sophisticated surgical programs.

“This new facility is far more than just a beautiful building,” said Christopher Clark, DO, MHA, AHN Saint Vincent President. "It is a tremendous investment that will improve the delivery of patient-centered emergency and surgical care in the Erie region for generations to come."

The new emergency department is set to open in the coming weeks.

Saint Vincent's emergency department sees about 65,000 patients every year.