Veterinary hospital opening second location in South Hills
March 28, 2016
Jennifer Curry
Pittsburgh Business Times
Pittsburgh Business Times
The Pittsburgh Veterinary Specialty & Emergency Center plans to open a South Hills facility in order to keep up with growing demand for its services.
The organization currently operates the region’s largest pet hospital along Camp Horne Road in the North Hills. The new, 13,000-square-foot facility, which will be located along Washington Road in North Strabane Township in Washington County, will enable it to reach a broader clientele in the southern half of the metro area, said Dr. Anthony Pardo, one of seven PVSEC owners and also a surgeon at the facility.
“There are a huge number of people who would like better access from Morgantown, (W.Va); Wheeling, (W.Va); Washington and the South Hills,” Pardo said. “We need to expand service because of demand, and we are outgrowing our facility here.”
PVSEC has been at its North Hills facility since 2008, and, since then, the number of patient visits has grown about 10 percent annually, from roughly 30,000 in 2008 to 55,000 in the most recent year. Employment has also grown, from 80 to 330.
“We are opening a facility to alleviate pressure here,” said Ken Spokane, hospital administrator at PVSEC. “Some days we don’t have enough parking here.”
The new $5 million facility will initially employ about 50 or 60 people, including about 10 doctors. It will offer emergency services, internal medicine services and surgery. In addition, specialists from the North Hills location will travel to the South Hills site to provide services one or two days a week. PVSEC provides specialty services in areas such as dentistry, dermatology, neurology, ophthalmology and oncology, among others.
Having services in the South Hills will give pet owners who live there more convenient access to emergency and specialty care, Pardo said.
“What’s happened in veterinary medicine is the human-animal bond continues to grow,” Pardo said. “The demand and expectations are infinitely greater. At the same time, people have busy lives. … Sometimes vets offer options and clients won’t take them because of distance. … If (you can turn it) into a 10 minute drive, (some pet owners may be) more willing to do something, and the animal is going to get better care.”
Ground will be broken on the new facility within the next month, and it’s anticipated opening is summer 2017. The architect on the project is RSSC Architecture, and the contractor is R.D. Stewart Co.
PVSEC offers veterinary services primarily to cats and dogs, but it has seen exotic animals, birds and reptiles. It also does work with the Pittsburgh Zoo and The National Aviary, and at one time put a 17-foot anaconda through a scanner.
“There are a huge number of people who would like better access from Morgantown, (W.Va); Wheeling, (W.Va); Washington and the South Hills,” Pardo said. “We need to expand service because of demand, and we are outgrowing our facility here.”
PVSEC has been at its North Hills facility since 2008, and, since then, the number of patient visits has grown about 10 percent annually, from roughly 30,000 in 2008 to 55,000 in the most recent year. Employment has also grown, from 80 to 330.
“We are opening a facility to alleviate pressure here,” said Ken Spokane, hospital administrator at PVSEC. “Some days we don’t have enough parking here.”
The new $5 million facility will initially employ about 50 or 60 people, including about 10 doctors. It will offer emergency services, internal medicine services and surgery. In addition, specialists from the North Hills location will travel to the South Hills site to provide services one or two days a week. PVSEC provides specialty services in areas such as dentistry, dermatology, neurology, ophthalmology and oncology, among others.
Having services in the South Hills will give pet owners who live there more convenient access to emergency and specialty care, Pardo said.
“What’s happened in veterinary medicine is the human-animal bond continues to grow,” Pardo said. “The demand and expectations are infinitely greater. At the same time, people have busy lives. … Sometimes vets offer options and clients won’t take them because of distance. … If (you can turn it) into a 10 minute drive, (some pet owners may be) more willing to do something, and the animal is going to get better care.”
Ground will be broken on the new facility within the next month, and it’s anticipated opening is summer 2017. The architect on the project is RSSC Architecture, and the contractor is R.D. Stewart Co.
PVSEC offers veterinary services primarily to cats and dogs, but it has seen exotic animals, birds and reptiles. It also does work with the Pittsburgh Zoo and The National Aviary, and at one time put a 17-foot anaconda through a scanner.