Akron Children's Hospital Mahoning Valley in Boardman debuted its newest expansion Wednesday afternoon. 

The hospital invested $31 million in a new construction project to expand the building's emergency room. The space was originally 9,600 square feet, and has grown to 34,700 square feet with the new construction. 

The new emergency room has also added six new treatment rooms, growing from 17 treatment rooms to 23, which includes 3 treatment rooms for behavioral health needs. The hospital also added a second triage room, after previously having only one. 

The expansion was announced in 2021, and was designed to meet the needs of children in the Valley.

According to hospital officials, there has been an uptick in patients over the past few years, with the hospital sometimes seeing over 200 patients a day. 

The new emergency room will begin seeing patients on April 19.