Mar 13, 2026 _ news

GBBN Helps Allegheny Health Network Open First-Of-Its Kind Regional Pharmacy Hub

Allegheny Health Network (AHN) recently unveiled its new $10 million centralized pharmacy facility in Zelienople, Pennsylvania. The 20,000-square-foot hub is the first of its kind in the region.

The facility centralizes and automates prescription fulfillment across AHN. Medications are prepared offsite and delivered to the pharmacy, consolidating staff responsible for assembly and shipping. The approach improves operational efficiency, supports more favorable insurance pricing, and leverages non-premium real estate rather than high-cost clinical space.

The project was driven by an aggressive speed-to-market goal. “Having the Phase 1 pharmacy fit outs ready for pharmacy board review just nine months from project kickoff was a key deadline to meet,” says Mindy Coblentz, part of GBBN’s design team on the project. “By maintaining a rapid 3.5-month design schedule, which enabled permitting and construction to begin as quickly as possible, we were able to meet that goal.” Similar pharmacies elsewhere in the country have been taking almost twice as long to come online. Our nimble response to scope changes and evaluation of multiple building system strategies helped meet stringent temperature and humidity requirements. By rapidly resolving enclosure strategies, documentation, and decision-making, the project team enabled construction to begin without delay.

“This facility is a true game-changer for how we deliver pharmacy services across our network,” said Laura Mark, Vice President of AHN Pharmacy. “By centralizing and automating prescription fulfillment, we’re not just improving efficiency — we’re strategically repositioning our hospital pharmacists to fully leverage their clinical expertise directly at the patient’s bedside, enhancing collaborative care and, most importantly, patient outcomes.”

Read about this project in The Pittsburgh Business Times or at Allegheny Health Network.

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