Allegheny Health Network (AHN) in Pennsylvania, US, has announced plans to invest $6.2m to expand services at two of its hospitals.

The plans aim to address the increasing needs of patients in AHN's eastern service region.

Under the initiative, AHN Allegheny Valley Hospital (AVH) in Natrona Heights will focus on inpatient rehabilitation services, while AHN Forbes Hospital in Monroeville will increase the capacity of its medical-surgical beds.

The expansion at AVH will include developing an inpatient rehabilitation unit with 29 beds, which is expected to begin next month and be completed by the end of this year.

This unit will be equipped with rehabilitation technology and build on the hospital's established Traumatic Brain Injury programme.

To facilitate its development, the hospital's progressive care unit will be relocated to its previous location on the first floor next to the intensive care unit.

The AHN Forbes Hospital expansion will convert its former inpatient rehab unit into 20 additional medical-surgical beds.

This aims to meet the growing need for acute medical and surgical care by improving patient flow, reducing wait times and enhancing the overall patient experience, especially after emergency care.

AHN Allegheny Valley and AHN Forbes Hospitals' chief operating officer Jeff Carlson said: “The emergency department at Forbes is one of the network’s busiest, which means our medical-surgical units are always busy too.

“We need more space and more beds for these patients.

“At the same time, Allegheny Valley Hospital has a strong and growing rehab programme, and by making AVH our hub for inpatient rehab services, we can help our patients recover more effectively.”

AHN operates 14 hospitals and more than 200 primary and speciality care practices across more than 300 clinical locations and offices.

Last year, the health network announced a $1bn project to upgrade the Allegheny General Hospital in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, in partnership with Highmark Health.