02-05-2025
Crozer-Chester Medical Center closes, marking end of Delaware County's largest hospital system
Crozer-Chester Medical Center closed its doors Friday, marking the end of Delaware County, Pennsylvania's largest health system. Crozer Health served Delco for generations, and its closure has caused sadness and anger in the community.
Crozer-Chester, located in Upland, shut its doors at 8 a.m. Friday. Hallways, patient rooms and operating rooms are now empty inside the hospital, as patients are now trying to figure out where to go to get care.
The hospital's closure marks the end of Crozer Health in Delaware County. Last week, a federal bankruptcy judge authorized Prospect Medical Holdings' plan to close Crozer Health. Four days after the judge's ruling, Prospect closed Taylor Hospital in Ridley Park on April 26. Now, 10 days after the judge's ruling, the California-based company closed Crozer-Chester.
Plans to save Crozer Health failed, leading to about 2,600 layoffs and just two hospitals — Riddle Hospital in Media and Mercy Fitzgerald in Darby — left to serve the county's 585,000 residents. Delaware County's delegation of state lawmakers has asked Pennsylvania Attorney General Dave Sunday to open a criminal investigation into Prospect.
CBS News Philadelphia
Erica Pasquarello, a nurse practitioner at Crozer-Chester, said working for the health system has been part of her family for years.
"I've had family that have been in this system for years," Pasquarello said."My pop-pop was a radiologist in '65, my mom was a nurse at Taylor, she's now a nurse practitioner at Brinton Lake. So it's sad, it's sad."
Pasquarello will have to find a new job now, but her unemployment is not at the top of her mind.
"The patients, I think, if anything, that's the devastating part. Saying goodbye to the last few I have on the schedule today," Pasquarello said. "And I just hope that someone is going to come through and help this community out. Because if anything, they're the ones that are going to suffer the most."
With Crozer Health's closure, there's a lot of uncertainty for patients as they search for new health care services. VMSC Emergency Medical Services, a Montgomery County-based company, has agreed to provide ambulance service for parts of Delaware County, including the City of Chester, Springfield, Marcus Hook and Swarthmore.
Some Crozer-Chester employees are planning to say goodbye in a farewell tailgate Friday afternoon. Also happening today, Keystone First Wellness and Opportunity Center held an event to help former Crozer patients find new primary care physicians and medical specialists.
