Nov 4, 2025 By Garrett Neese 2 min read

The new ambulance bay canopy at UPMC Greene’s emergency department stood high above the heads of the hospital executives, staff and elected officials assembled to see it Monday — and also high enough for ambulances to pass under it comfortably.

“This is an investment in our community, the hospital, but obviously EMS services in our treatment of our patients long-term,” said Brook Ward, president of UPMC Washington and UPMC Greene.

Completed in September, the higher canopy – which is essentially a very short tunnel – was designed to accommodate the advanced life support equipment on modern ambulances.

After one of those newer ambulances got wedged under the canopy, the hospital made a temporary fix by digging underneath — creating what state Sen. Camera Bartolotta called a “little ice-skating rink.” A permanent, non-slippery upgrade came through a $345,000 state grant in 2022.

“It was absolutely my pleasure to advocate and push and cajole and twist arms to try to get that funding for the facility, because UPMC Washington and UPMC Greene do such a phenomenal job working together, working with your legislators, working with the community to bring not just great health care and great services, but really a community feeling for everyone,” Bartolotta said.

A coalition of EMS teams, UPMC Greene emergency department and facilities management team members, and construction and design experts helped formulate the new design.