West Penn Allegheny Health System confirmed Thursday that it will no longer offer inpatient services at its Allegheny General Hospital - Suburban Campus in Bellevue, which will necessitate closing the local emergency department.

According to a statement issued by WPAHS, the Pennsylvania Department of Health has been advised that inpatient services will be discontinued in 90 days. Because state law requires inpatient beds to be available in order to operate an emergency room, the local hospital’s E.R. also will be closed.

WPAHS also plans to move surgeries to the Allegheny general main Campus on the North Side.

Several expanded and new services will be offered instead.

An urgent care center will replace the emergency department, something WPAHS says is more consistent with how the Bellevue emergency room actually is used. According to WPAHS, 86 percent of the cases seen in the E.R. at Suburban Campus are “non-emergent” and can be handled at the new urgent care center. Trauma and other true emergency cases will continue to be transported to other WPAHS facilities as they have been in the past.

The hospital has reached a tentative agreement with LifeCare Hospitals to expand long-term care services at Suburban Campus. LifeCare currently operates four long-term acute care beds at Suburban Campus. That could be expanded to 50 beds, pending licensing approval. According to the WPAHS statement, LifeCare also is considering the addition of 50 skilled nursing or transitional beds by the end of the year. Hospital spokesman Dan Laurent said this would result in the creation of 100 to 150 new jobs at Suburban Campus.

As for employees that will lose their jobs with the closure of the inpatient, surgical and emergency services, WPAHS said that current employees will be encouraged to apply for the LifeCare positions or other open jobs at WPAHS. Employees who do not apply or who do not qualify for new positions, WPAHS said, will be assisted with separation packages and outplacement services.

WPAHS has stated that the overwhelming majority of visits to the Suburban Campus currently involve outpatient services, which will continue and possibly be expanded in the coming months.

“We’re looking forward to continuing to serve those patients.” said president and CEO Gregory Burfitt. “We remain committed to providing excellent care to the residents of Bellevue and all of the northern boroughs.”

A town hall meeting to discuss the changes at Suburban Campus will be held Friday, May 14, at 6:30 p.m. at the Bellevue Elementary School auditorium. The meeting is being co-hosted by Bellevue Council and WPAHS.