Crozer hospitals to stay open in Delaware County amid permanent restructuring: officials

PHILADELPHIA - A potential health-care crisis has been averted in Delaware County.

Pennsylvania Attorney General Dave Sunday says an 11th-hour deal has been reached to keep Crozer Health hospitals open for the 'immediate future.'

What we know:

A bankruptcy settlement meeting was held in Harrisburg Sunday with Prospect Medical Holdings, the owner of Crozer Health System.

After the meeting wrapped, Attorney General Dave Sunday and The Foundation for Delaware County announced an agreement was reached to keep Crozer Health open. 

Crozer Health will remain open while permanent restructuring of the system is pursued.

Crozer-Chester Medical Center and Taylor Hospital were slated to close Friday, March 14 after Crozer Health’s parent company, Prospect Medical Holdings, ran out of money to keep the two hospitals operating. 

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Crozer-Chester, Taylor Hospital closure announcement draws swift response from workers, officials

Healthcare workers and elected officials are demanding accountability after Prospect Medical Holdings announced they would be closing Crozer-Chester Medical Center in Chester and Taylor Hospital in Ridley Park.

If the closures had gone through as planned, nearly 3,000 jobs would have been lost, leaving only two hospitals in Delaware County to treat its population of more than a half-million people.

Legislators met in Delaware County Monday to hear testimony on the crisis in healthcare while lawmakers offered a bill to keep companies like Prospect away. 

Senator Tim Kearney of Delaware County said, "they were legally able to do what they did which is horrible. Separate the buildings from the real estate to sell the real estate to pay dividends." 

Kane called Monday for the owners and board members of Prospect be criminally charged. 

Prospect Medical Holdings had no comment Monday.

What they're saying:

Attorney General Sunday and his senior staff attended the meeting, along with board members and the president of the Foundation for Delaware County.

"I am pleased that the parties focused on how to move forward on behalf of Pennsylvanians, instead of how we got here, and worked to an agreement after more than six hours of negotiations," Attorney General Sunday said. "I thank all parties for their good faith negotiations and sacrifices made to make this happen. This work was done on behalf of the thousands of people and families who depend on Crozer Health System for essential services — and the many hardworking professionals who provide that care…My office will remain engaged in this process as we work to find a long-term solution."

"We are encouraged by this outcome and hopeful it will lead to a long-term solution with a nonprofit provider. For three years, we have advocated for the residents of Delaware County, supporting negotiations and exploring every available option to keep the healthcare system from closing. While we cannot sustain an entire health system, we remain committed to ensuring continued access to care," said The Foundation of Delaware County President Frances Sheehan.

"The future of Crozer Health has dominated my first month in office," Attorney General Sunday said. "And it deserves that full attention, as this system is an asset to the communities it serves and an economic driver for Delaware County."

Taylor Hospital of Delaware County was open for business on a short leash Monday. "It’s a huge sigh of relief for all of the staff at Crozer and community members that we’re going to continue to give quality care to our patients," said Peggy Malone who leads Crozer’s unionized nurses. "We don’t know what the long term looks like."

"Short-term solutions are just that. They’re pie-in-the-sky. They don’t give us a lot of confidence. We’re right now just talking about ambulance services. How we’re going to handle that in the event the hospital closes,"said Stefan Roots is the Democratic Mayor of Chester.

Closing the hospitals would be a massive hit to Delaware County, union and community leaders say, for the 100-thousand patients treated yearly and the hundreds of healthcare workers employed there. 

FOX 29 asked Pennsylvania Senator John Kane if he believed there remains the potential for the hospitals to close. Kane said, "yes, I’ve got to say yes. I believe coming in here today there’s excitement that they came to a resolution last night and they’re still talking."

What's next:

A bankruptcy hearing is scheduled for Tuesday morning in Texas.

Details of the long-term plan will be announced once it is solidified.