Allegheny General Hospital facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Allegheny General Hospital |
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| Allegheny Health Network | |
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| Geography | |
| Location | 320 East North Avenue, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, U.S. |
| Coordinates | 40°27′24″N 80°00′12″W / 40.45667°N 80.00333°W |
| Organisation | |
| Hospital type | Tertiary and Quaternary care |
| Affiliated university |
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| Services | |
| Emergency department | Level I Trauma Center |
| Helipad | (FAA LID: 42PN) |
| Beds | 576 |
| History | |
| Founded | 1882 |
Allegheny General Hospital is a large hospital in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. You can find it at 320 East North Avenue. This hospital is an important part of the larger Allegheny Health Network.
A Look Back: Hospital History
Allegheny General Hospital, often called AGH, is in the Central Northside area of Pittsburgh. It was the first hospital in Pennsylvania to be named a Level 1 shock trauma center. This means it's ready for the most serious injuries. AGH was also the first hospital in the northeastern United States to offer air medical services. This means they used helicopters to quickly bring patients to the hospital.
How AGH Started
AGH is now a main teaching hospital for Allegheny Health Network. But it started small, with only 50 beds. It was in two brick houses in what was then Allegheny City. In 1881, the mayor of Allegheny City and doctors began planning a new hospital. They also started raising money for it. Three years later, they bought two buildings on Stockton Avenue.
The hospital officially opened on February 15, 1886. In 1887, AGH added a special section just for children. In 1889, the hospital received an ambulance. AGH ran its own ambulance service for the next 64 years. Around 1900, leaders started collecting money for an even newer AGH. This new building would be just a block away, also on Stockton Avenue.
Growing Bigger and Better
The new hospital building opened in 1904. It was seven stories tall and had 400 beds. It cost $620,000 to build. This new space had modern labs for different tests. There were separate rooms for checking urine, blood, and bacteria.
In 1920, the hospital decided it needed a new home again. A famous architecture firm from New York was hired. They designed what would be one of the first "skyscraper" hospitals in the country. Construction began in 1929. The first stone was laid in 1930. However, the Great Depression slowed down the building for several years. The tall, 22-story hospital was finally finished in 1936.
Over the years, the hospital continued to grow. A new East Wing was added. In 1981, a new patient tower called the Snyder Pavilion was completed. This addition cost $104 million.
AGH Today
Allegheny General Hospital is a very busy teaching hospital. It has 576 beds. Each year, about 24,000 patients stay overnight. Doctors perform around 23,000 surgeries. The emergency room also sees nearly 56,000 visits every year.
See also
