Neuroscience Institute facility planned on Allegheny General Hospital campus

A five-story building at Allegheny General Hospital will be converted into a Neuroscience Institute for the acute treatment and long-term holistic management of neurological diseases.

Construction at James and Hemlock streets on Pittsburgh’s North Side is underway and expected to be completed late next year. The project in the 80,000-square-foot building is expected to cost $72 million.

Highmark’s Allegheny Health Network is calling the planned facility a one-stop destination for those seeking treatment for problems including stroke, epilepsy, Alzheimer’s, headaches, neuromuscular disease, traumatic brain injuries, brain cancer and movement disorders such as Parkinson’s Disease. It also will be home to the organization’s neurosciences research efforts.

The institute comprises more than 50 physicians and 54 advanced practice providers, offering care at more than 30 clinical locations across Western Pennsylvania.

The goal is to integrate “diagnostic, medical, surgical and a wide range of ancillary support services to better care for patients with diseases of or injuries to the brain, spine and central and peripheral nervous systems,” the Pittsburgh-based health care provider said.

Dr. Donald Whiting, chair of the AHN Neuroscience Institutes and chief medical officer, said demand for such care is increasing as the population ages and people are living longer.

Nurse navigators will be assigned to each patient to provide care guidance to help them adhere to treatment plans and access resources such as in-person, virtual health and community-based services.

“Neurological diseases often require a patient’s whole family to become part of the caregiver team,” Whiting said. “That’s why it’s essential that we also address every social determinant of health concern for our patients and their families, such as food, housing and transportation needs, and conveniently provide a full spectrum of services on-site that connect them to those vital resources.”

The approach to the project at AGH is similar to those AHN has used at its other facilities, including the AHN Cahouet Center for Comprehensive Parkinson’s Care, the AHN Cancer Institute hub at AGH and the AHN Autoimmunity Institute at West Penn Hospital.