A Pennsylvania judge has temporarily blocked Crozer Health’s plan to close the Delaware County Memorial Hospital in Drexel Hill and convert it into a behavioral health facility.
Judge Robert Shenkin of the Court of Common Pleas on Tuesday ruled that all current operations at the Delaware County Memorial should continue and that the parties should meet to discuss changes to the hospital.
Shenkin’s initial order follows a complaint filed September 28 by the Community-Focused Nonprofit for Delaware County and others, alleging that the closure violates a 2016 agreement requiring Prospect Medical Holdings must maintain acute care at four local hospitals, including Delaware County Memorial, for 10 people. many years. For profit Prospect acquired the former Crozer-Keystone Health System in 2016 and eventually renamed it Crozer Health.
Springfield, Pennsylvania-based Crozer announced in September it would close the Delaware County Memorial’s emergency department and end other services at the 168-bed facility within 60 days. It plans to convert the site into a more than 100-bed hospital dedicated to behavioral health, which has a crisis care unit and focuses on inpatient psychiatric care, addiction/rehabilitation and wellness senior behavior. The plan calls for the refurbished facility to open in the spring of 2023. Crozer said at the time that the change would “assist during the behavioral health crisis in the county and region.”
The closures will result in the layoffs of more than 330 employees, according to court documents.
Crozer also announced plans to convert its Springfield facility to outpatient services later this year. Taylor Hospital in Ridley Park and Crozer-Chester Medical Center in Upland will continue their usual services.
“What we did was evaluate what [the] A partnership of doctors, communities and local leaders is required,” Crozer CEO Anthony Esposito said in a September news release. “Through this engagement, we identify that access to community-based, high-quality, safe, and effective services is the key to community engagement while addressing the changing nature of healthcare today.”
Three health systems operate hospitals serving patients in Delaware County: Crozer, Main Line Health, and Trinity Health.
A Crozer spokesperson said the organization is aware of Shenkin’s ruling and agrees with its attorney.
Frances Sheehan, president of the Foundation for Delaware County, said the group was pleased with the judge’s decision and delighted when he realized that “closing the hospital would take a huge toll on the community.” The foundation, formerly the Crozer-Keystone Community Foundation, was established in 2016 with proceeds from the sale to Prospect.
