Crozer Health: Crozer on life-support as frantic search is on for cash to keep it alive 2 more weeks
Will Crozer, Taylor shutter their doors Wednesday?
Crozer Hospital and Taylor Hospital, in Ridley, could shut down by Wednesday afternoon, unless funds are found to keep them open.
CHESTER, Pa. - Crozer Hospital could shut down Wednesday afternoon if a deal is not made to buy the struggling healthcare system.
Officials have been meeting for weeks to save the institution, with the latest hearing wrapping up Tuesday afternoon.
What we know:
There’s trouble for the ailing Crozer Health System of Delaware County Tuesday night as a deadline is set for another infusion of money to keep the system going temporarily or the shutdown of Crozer could begin Wednesday night.
With its population of 35,000 residents, Chester, in Delaware County, is Pennsylvania’s oldest city.
A new mayor is now leading Chester, pressing to shake off the community’s long economic decline. The last thing it needs is for the Crozer Medical Center to close its doors.
Shaline Bacon, of Chester, said, "It’s important to me. If it were to shut down and not operate, everything would be in shambles."
Crozer Health: Time is running out for solution to keep hospitals open
The Crozer Medical Center of Upland and its companion smaller hospital, Taylor of Ridley Park, have a lifeline of two weeks and $7 million to cover payroll before its for-profit owner could move to shutter them.
On life support:
Against that grim backdrop, there was bad news Tuesday for the struggling healthcare system out of a Texas bankruptcy court trying to broker a long-term solution for Crozer and its companion hospital Taylor, of Ridley Park.
An attorney for the former, for-profit owner, Prospect Medical Holdings of California, said if $9 million is not found by 4 p.m. Wednesday, in order to keep the hospitals going short-term, it will begin to close Crozer Wednesday evening. The attorney also said ambulances will be turned away from Crozer by Thursday morning.
By the numbers:
If the $9 million is found, it could buy another two weeks for the parties to hammer out a long-term solution with potential buyers Penn Medicine and Delaware County. Without it, a bankruptcy court action to close Crozer and Taylor could come Thursday afternoon.
Participants in the bankruptcy hearing said the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania is involved in the search for $9 million by the 4 p.m. Wednesday deadline. The judge ordered the parties to meet in a video call before Thursday’s next scheduled bankruptcy hearing.
Big picture view:
Dennis Pace of Chester was born in Crozer Hospital. He said, "Chester needs Crozer, Taylor and all the hospitals under them. I honestly think it would be a stupid thing to do to close the hospitals."