Mercy Philadelphia Hospital embarks on $15 million ER expansion

Rendering of emergency department expansion at Mercy Hospital Philadelphia, located at 501 S. 54th Street.
Source/Mercy Hospital Philadelphia

Elected officials and leaders from Mercy Philadelphia Hospital gathered Thursday to break ground on a $15 expansion project that will double the size of its emergency department.

The investment will add 10,000 square feet to the emergency room facility, bring the total space to about 23,000 square feet in an effort to better provide for communities in West Philadelphia. The project is expected be completed in 2019.

“Mercy Philadelphia Hospital is deeply rooted in this community and we believe everyone should have access to safe, high-quality healthcare,” said Susan Cusack, the hospital's executive director. “This expansion will enable us to serve our emergency patients in a new, comfortable setting with the latest amenities.”

The bulk of the funding for the expansion comes from Trinity Health, which encompasses all of the Catholic Mercy Health System of Southeastern Pennsylvania, including Nazareth Hospital and Mercy Fitzgerald.

State Sen. Anthony Williams helped Mercy Philadelphia Hospital secure another $500,000 through the Pennsylvania Redevelopment Assistance Capital Program.

Led by architect and designer CBRE | Heery, the emergency department will feature an updated entrance, waiting area, reception area, security facilities and an enlarged triage area with a separate ambulance entrance.

With the expansion, the emergency department will increase patient beds from 12 to 30 and bring 25 new jobs to West Philadelphia.

Over nearly a century serving the city's western neighborhoods, Mercy Philadelphia Hospital has grown into a 157-bed community teaching hospital. The expansion will mark the largest investment to the hospital's emergency department since its original construction in 1996.