West Penn Allegheny Health System announced Thursday that its financially strapped Suburban General Hospital in Bellevue will be absorbed by Allegheny General Hospital, its much larger North Side flagship. The change will not result in any layoffs or service cuts, said Tom Chakurda, a spokesman for the hospital network. West Penn Allegheny officials stressed yesterday that the move could lead to more jobs at Suburban General because of plans to create clinical programs there. The 500-employee, 154-bed hospital will be renamed AGH Suburban Campus. Suburban General is one of six hospitals owned by West Penn Allegheny and has been its least profitable. The Bellevue hospital lost $1.4 million last year and $563,000 in the budget year that ended June 30. The move will fold into Allegheny General Hospital all of Suburban General's financials; however, Suburban General's foundation will remain independent, and donations will go to intended beneficiaries. Hospital network officials would not say how much money West Penn Allegheny Health System expects to gain as a result of the move. "Clearly, we expect that there will be a financial benefit," Chakurda said. The merger could be a sign of further belt-tightening at West Penn Allegheny Health System, which last year posted its first profit. The $19 million gain represented a milestone for the once-struggling network, which was formed in 2000 following the bankruptcy of Allegheny General Hospital's former parent -- the Allegheny Health, Education and Research Foundation. For patients, the biggest change will come when AGH moves to the Bellevue site its division of joint-replacement surgery -- one of its busiest inpatient orthopedics programs. AGH doctors see about 10,000 orthopedic patients every year. The move will free up about nine operating rooms at AGH booked daily for those types of surgeries. The former Suburban General will continue to offer such services as emergency medicine, cardiac and intensive care, as well as a recently opened neurological rehabilitation unit. Officials did not say which services will be expanded but said they plan an initial investment of about $5 million for computer, infrastructure and clinical upgrades, as well as aesthetic improvements. Suburban General's board of directors will be merged into AGH's board, as will its staff of about 300 doctors. Melinda Meighan, chairwoman of the Bellevue hospital's board of directors, called the combination a rebirth for the 100-year-old Suburban General Hospital. "It is our intent to maintain in every way possible the tradition and culture of care that exists at Suburban General and the unique relationship that it has forged," Meighan said. West Penn Allegheny said the change should be completed by Jan. 1. West Penn Allegheny's other hospitals are West Penn in Bloomfield; Alle-Kiski Medical Center in Natrona Heights; Forbes Regional in Monroeville; and Canonsburg General in Washington County.

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