April 22, 2025
John Kopp/PhillyVoice
Crozer-Chester Medical Center (above) and Taylor Hospital will close in the coming days, Prospect Holdings, the parent company of Crozer Health, says in a court filing.
Crozer Health plans to cease operations in Delaware County after months of bankruptcy proceedings and sale negotiations, its parent company said Monday in a court filing.
Crozer-Chester Medical Center in Upland and Taylor Hospital in Ridley Park will be closed, Prospect Medical Holdings said. Its four outpatient facilities — Crozer Health at Broomall, the Surgery Center at Haverford, Crozer Medical Plaza at Brinton Lake and Media Medical Plaza — will remain open until they are sold. Approximately 2,600 people will be laid off.
The process to close the hospitals is expected to begin immediately, with the emergency departments shutting down Wednesday morning, the Inquirer reported. Patients at Crozer-Chester Medical Center who are expected to be hospitalized for longer than five days will be transferred to other hospitals, but those with shorter stays can remain until they are discharged. Patients at Taylor Hospital that are likely to stay more than two days will be moved to Crozer-Chester.
"At this time, the focus at Crozer Health remains on seamlessly transitioning patients to other health facilities so that they can continue to receive the critical, uninterrupted care they require, and to support Crozer health team members as they seek to identify other employment opportunities," Paul Rundell, chief restructuring officer for Prospect Holdings, told the Delaware County Daily Times.
Delaware County issued an emergency declaration, which will be effective for seven days and provide more flexibility for hiring, procurement, emergency medical services dispatch and tracking expenses related to the closure. In a statement, county officials said they were "extremely disappointed" about the closures.
"The county has worked tirelessly for months to hold together a coalition of nonprofit entities and community partners who could potentially assume operations at the Prospect-owned facilities to ensure a long-term solution that keeps some level of services in operation for our residents," the statement said. "While this work continues, it has not produced a resolution that has been agreed to in time to avoid this closure."
County officials also said they will be filing an objection to the closure. They said Prospect is violating a local law that requires health care companies to provide a plan for closure at least 180 days in advance.
The Delaware County Workforce Development Board is establishing a location for Crozer employees seeking new jobs.
The Crozer closure comes after months of back and forth on the future of the facilities. On Jan. 11, Prospect filed a Chapter 11 bankruptcy motion in Texas. In March, the company submitted a motion for "expedited closure," saying that keeping Crozer open would jeopardize Prospect's other holdings. Crozer was able to stay afloat for a few weeks after receiving $40 million in emergency funds from the Foundation for Delaware County, the state and the county, but the stopgap funding wasn't enough to prevent the closures.
Prospect had been working with the Pennsylvania Attorney General's Office to find new owners for the two facilities, but learned on Friday that no buyer would be moving forward, NBC10 reported. Earlier last week, Crozer CEO Tony Esposito announced his resignation, which took effect on Friday.
Crozer Health previously shuttered Delaware County Memorial Hospital in Upper Darby and Springfield Hospital.
"The closure of two more hospitals will significantly reduce emergency healthcare options," the Foundation for Delaware County said in a statement. "It will also make it harder for people to attend doctors’ appointments and access vital medical services, including maternity care."
Anyone with inquiries regarding patient transfer, care and the hospital transition can contact Delaware County at (888) 801-2338 or CrozerPAInquiries@omniagnt.com.
