Western Pennsylvania Hospital Facts for Kids

Quick facts for kids West Penn Hospital
Allegheny Health Network

Geography
Location	4800 Friendship Avenue, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States
Coordinates	40°27′41″N 79°56′47″W / 40.46139°N 79.94639°W / 40.46139; -79.94639
Organization
Funding	Non-profit hospital
Affiliated university	Temple University
Services
Beds	317
History
Founded	1848

West Penn Hospital, also known as the Western Pennsylvania Hospital, is a large hospital in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. It's located in the Bloomfield neighborhood. This hospital has 317 beds and is part of the Allegheny Health Network. It helps teach future doctors and nurses. Many doctors get their training here through special programs. It's also where students from the West Penn Hospital School of Nursing learn.

How West Penn Hospital Started
Learning for Doctors and Nurses
Hospital Grows Bigger
Becoming Part of a Bigger Network
Gallery
See also

How West Penn Hospital Started

West Penn Hospital was founded a long time ago, on March 18, 1848. It was the very first public hospital in Pittsburgh to get a special charter. Its first location was on a hill overlooking the city's Strip District. Today, that old spot is a park and a ball field.

It took five years to design, build, and get enough money for the hospital. Finally, in the spring of 1853, the four-story hospital opened. It could hold 120 patients. In its early days, many patients were people hurt in accidents at Pittsburgh's factories and train yards.

In 1862, West Penn opened another special hospital called Dixmont Hospital. This hospital was for people with mental health needs. It was the first of its kind in Western Pennsylvania. It was named after Dorothea Dix, who worked hard to help people with mental health issues. West Penn owned Dixmont until 1907.

During the American Civil War, West Penn Hospital became a very important place for treating soldiers. The United States government took over the hospital in 1862. They changed it to be a military hospital for three years. Even then, civilians could still get emergency care. By the end of the war in 1865, about 3,000 soldiers had been treated at West Penn.

Learning for Doctors and Nurses

West Penn surgeons and doctors started the Western Pennsylvania Medical College. It opened in October 1886 with 57 students. This was the first medical school in the region. The school building was connected to West Penn Hospital by an underground tunnel. The medical school later became The University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine.

The nursing school, then called The Western Pennsylvania Hospital Training School for Nurses, opened in 1892. It started with fifteen students. Ten students finished the two-year program and graduated in 1894.

Hospital Grows Bigger

By the early 1900s, the first hospital building was old. So, the hospital decided to build a new one in the Bloomfield neighborhood. The first stone for the new hospital was laid in 1909. On New Year's Day, 1912, the new West Penn Hospital opened. All 219 patients were moved to the new building. This new hospital was six stories tall and could hold up to 500 patients. It had modern operating rooms, labs, and X-ray machines.

In 1919, the hospital bought more land. By 1923, they opened a "Residence and Training School." This is now the West Penn Hospital School of Nursing. Today, this building is used by nurse teachers and students. It also has a special center for teaching using simulations.

West Penn added a new section for childbirth in 1950. An intensive care unit (ICU) was added in 1958. In the 1960s, the hospital grew even more. They added a new entrance and a new center for patients who don't need to stay overnight. A special unit for burn care opened in 1970. A place for helicopters to land was added in 1971. In 1981, the East Tower opened, focusing on tests and critical care. A nine-story patient care tower was added in 1995. It has a copper dome that you can see from far away.

Becoming Part of a Bigger Network

In 1999, West Penn Hospital joined with four other hospitals. These hospitals were Allegheny General, Forbes, Allegheny Valley, and Canonsburg. Together, they formed the West Penn Allegheny Health System (WPAHS).

By 2010, the West Penn Allegheny Health System was having money problems. They even had to close West Penn's emergency room on January 1, 2011. Things were so difficult that the hospital almost had to close completely.

But in June 2011, a company called Highmark agreed to help. Highmark invested a lot of money to save the hospital. West Penn's emergency room reopened in February 2012. In 2013, West Penn became part of Highmark's Allegheny Health Network.

Today, West Penn Hospital is a 317-bed teaching hospital. About 4,000 babies are born there each year. The hospital has a special unit for newborn babies who need extra care. It also has a certified burn trauma center for both adults and children. Many other services bring patients from all over the state. In 2006, West Penn was the first hospital in its region to win the Magnet Recognition Program award. This award is for excellent nursing care. It has also received this award two more times since then.