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Crozier Chester Medical Center, in Upland, Pennsylvania, is an absolutely essential medical facility for a vast portion of Delaware County, and the threat of its closure due to the greed, mismanagement, neglect, and lack of oversight from state regulatory agencies has put the entire region in a hostage situation.
According to reports, Prospect Medical Holdings, Inc. has been accused of diverting over 90 million in funding earmarked for the improvement of health care services, to which a growing chorus of local and county officials are calling on Delaware County District Attorney Jack Stollsteimer and Pennsylvania Attorney General Dave Sunday to launch an investigation into Prospect’s financial mismanagement.
A second press conference was held on Tuesday, March 11, 2025, following an emergency meeting ordered by the judge. State Senator John Kane, State Representatives Leanne Krueger and Carol Kazeem, Delaware County Councilman Richard Womack, Mayor Stefan Roots, Chester Council members Portia West, Fred Green and ShyQuan Davis, Pennsylvania of Staff Nurses and Allied Professionals (PASNAP) Maureen May, and numerous community stakeholders attended the press conference, voicing their support for the community and staff of the Delaware County institution.
Senator Anthony Williams has been fighting the issue of for-profit entities owning hospitals for many years and had this to say about the situation stating, “The situation is volatile. Whatever reprieve there is from the infusion of money from the Foundation is limited and will not be able to sustain the operation of the hospital. We have to find another entity that will provide, if not the complete services of the hospital, at least the necessary services, such as emergency services and childbirth services…those are things that are defined through other relationships that hopefully this period buys. Hopefully, whatever is being done isn’t being done with the perspective that the state, government, or the private equity firm will change its position because I don’t think that any of that’s going to happen.”
As a result of a six-hour meeting held over the weekend, a 7 million dollars infusion of cash from the Foundation for Delaware County, a philanthropic organization. The Foundation was created from the sale of the non-profit Crozier Keystone Health System to Prospect Medical for 300 million in 2016. This is only a stop-gap measure at best because it only allows Crozier to continue operations for two weeks while officials continue to pursue other options to permanently restructure the hospital.
State officials have asked the Foundation to use some of its 80 million in funding to prop up the dying health care system; however, Foundation President Francis M. Sheehan stated, “There are limits to how much they could do, given its own obligations. While we cannot sustain an entire health system, we remain committed to ensuring continued access to care.
The City of Chester has distributed a “Healthcare Help List” for residents.
- – To connect with health care providers in Chester, contact ChesPenn, 125 East 9th Street, Chester, PA., 19013, medical 610-872-6131 or dental 610-872-6231
- – for help with your pregnancy or infant, contact The Foundation For Delaware County, 1500 Chester Pike, Suite 300, Eddystone, PA, 19022, 610- 497-7344
- – for doctor appointments (primary and specialty) contact Main Line Health locations throughout Delaware County, 1-866-225-5654
for mental health, substance abuse, and recovery support contact MVP Recovery, 2200 Providence Avenue, Chester, PA.,19013, 1- 855-687-2410 (24/7)
– to find general health care and public health resources contact Delaware County Health Department 151 West 5th Street, Chester, PA., 19013, 1-484-276-2100, to obtain help with all basic needs such as housing, food, health care, etc., contact Chester Edu- cation Foundation, 419 Avenue of the States, Suite 700, Chester, PA., 19013, 610-364-1212.
A statement from Chester Mayor Stefan Roots read in part, “Over the past few years, I’ve shared my concerns about the troubled status of the Crozier Health System as healthcare systems across Delaware County have continued to close. As Mayor of Chester, many look to me to save the hospital because Chester considers it our own. It’s important to understand that Chester City government has no control over Crozier, its operations, finances, or ownership, and despite its name, it’s located in Upland Borough.
I fully support all efforts to keep the hospital open, but the decision now rests with the bankruptcy judge in Texas. What I can do is convene surrounding municipalities to find solutions for emergency services in the event Crozier closes, and I can assure that Chester residents have the necessary information and resources to access health care elsewhere.”
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